Trusted One
by Volleys-chan
Summary: Trust is something that has to be earned. That was something Bulma's mentor had taught her at a very young age, but it is only now that she learns the true meaning of that phrase. Getting someone to put his trust in her had never been harder.
1. Chapter 1

Hi, I know the people who keep track of my stories are probably as angry as hell itself for me to do this to them, but blame my roommate. She got started on this when she said... "Why do you hate Goku?" Of course, I don't hate him, I just think his character is highly... irresponsible and glory-grabbing. Then she looked at me and asked "Who _do_ you like from that series?" I had to smile as I gave the simple answer of the most crabbiest, serious character that DBZ has: Vegeta.

She seemed confused. Goku's _everyones_ favorite character because it is about _him_. But I liked the one character that stayed on the whole series and never never won one bloody fight after he killed Zarbon. So, I told her to watched the series....

She watched the whole series within three weeks. Then, looked up _all_ the Vegeta lines and what can I say... she got _me_ curious, so I hopped on fanfiction and looked up the Vegeta/Bulma stories...

Let's be honest... I was happy about there being 149 pages worth of stories over the 29 pages of Deidara/Sakura stories. Much more quality writing to find through all the other crap.

So after reading over 50 stories of Vegeta and Bulma, I decided to try my hand. Both are stubborn characters and it is harder to write one of these stories because the character of Vegeta was not well explained in the canon. You could see some of his character, but none of his culture within his character. Spouting off 'I am the Prince of all Saiyans' does not mean that he is trying to boast, it is merely him trying to remind people of him _not_ being a human and not easily defeated by human standard.

But let's be serious, there is a definite lack of understanding the Saiyan culture in DBZ...

So what if Bulma had been raised a little more open minded? Because someone in her childhood bothered to show her that there was different ways of looking at things?

You get a whole different story.

Call it an AU if you must, but I would like to call it a different dimension similar to the canon's but with one butterfly effect.

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 1

_Beloved Mentor

* * *

_

**Disclaimer: Yeah... Like I would write DBZ more like DBV (Dragon Ball Vegeta)**

* * *

_Fingers raked through the usual blue hair as hard blue eyes stared at the paper in front of them, almost willing the paper to combust to end the misery._

_"Argh! I can't do this!" The pencil was thrown across the room and hit the wall with a thunk._

_"Yes, you can," a calm but ragged voice said as a left feminine hand held hers, "Bulma, use what you know and dissect the problem. It's nothing you haven't learned."_

_Bulma looked up at the woman who was instructing her. Her face was soft and elegant on one half of her face and the other half, the right half, was burned, twisted scars and her right eye as frosted over. Her appearance was almost enough to make people puke in revolt, but it was a face that Bulma had come to love._

_"I'll try," she sighed, allowing herself to calm down at look at the equation once more, "Is the answer… 5?"_

_"Yes," the ragged voice of the woman said with pride._

_Her good onyx eye gleamed happily as she looked down at the child, "Your father will be impressed by your studies."_

_"Do you think that one day he will let me help him with his projects, Azel?"_

_"Yes," the woman said, nodding and consenting to the idea by closing both eyes and letting her head nod slowly, "But you are only twelve, let's try getting you through the rest of this calculus homework and your lessons in the computer language skills before thinking of trying to help your father."_

_"Azel," Bulma asked, looking over her shoulder to once again look that the haggard form of her most beloved friend and guardian._

_"Yes child?"_

_"You'll always be there when I need you, right?" She asked._

_Azel's breath hitched for a moment, the unguarded surprise evident on her face as she looked at the child she had come to serve, guard, teach, and even love._

_"I will be here till my time on this realm is up." She finally consented, nodding her head and allowing her jet-black hair to fall into her eyes and hide the emotion that ran through them._

_She was getting in too deep. She had started to notice that, but she couldn't muster the control to leave. This family was alluring with their unnatural kindness and nonjudgmental ways._

_"Promise?" Bulma looked at her worriedly as if she feared her leaving._

_Azel let a smile run across her lips, even though it pulled uncomfortable on her burn scars, "promise, little one."_

_With that, she placed a kiss on the blue haired child's temple and continued to help her with her homework, mutter a few foreign words that Bulma knew were curses._

* * *

Bulma woke slowly. Her heart sank a bit at the dream. It had been a while since she dreamed of her mentor.

_That's no reason to darken my day!_ Bulma thought as she pulled herself up and headed for her bathroom, _I refuse to let something that's supposed to be endearing and happy as a sad thought._

With that she took a shower and readied herself for another long day of dodging Yamcha, who was trying to get her to go on a date with him; dealing with her spazzy mother that she could not figure out for the life of her; her father's forgetfulness and busy calculations that would need correcting; and last but definitely not least, try to avoid Vegeta and his attitude problem. At least Puar or Scratch- her father's ever present black cat- never caused her problems.

"Okay, breakfast, exercise, lab, lunch, lab, dinner, bed," Bulma chanted to herself as she quickly headed down the stairs to go grab something to eat.

It was as if that dream about Azel, her beloved mentor, was a sign things would not go right today. For there at the breakfast table was everyone she was hoping to avoid or deal with separately.

"Good morning deary!" Her mother said in an upbeat tone, "How are you this morning?"

Bulma shrugged as she grabbed a plate and began to fill it with the breakfast her mother was making, "Good."

Her mother might have been a strange woman that seemed to miss a lot, but what Bulma had discovered a long time ago was that Bunny Briefs didn't miss a thing.

"What's wrong sweetie? Did you have another dream about that sweet woman again?" Her mother's face didn't give away the intelligence that was held in that since comment.

Bulma didn't answer, but it didn't mean she didn't miss the recognition that entered Yamcha's eyes as he tried hard not to make a face of disgust or the saddened look on her father's face at the thought of the same woman.

Her mother didn't even have to say her name for everyone to know whom she was talking about. Well, all except Vegeta. Fortunately, he didn't say anything about the comment. He was distant to them, refusing to talk to any of them unless he needed something out of the ordinary. He had been like this since the day the GR had exploded with him in it.

As long as Bulma didn't catch him alone, he said nothing to her.

"So babe," Yamcha started, trying to snap her out of the depression that he could sense was rising with the memories of that…_woman_, "How about you and I go out today and shop at the mall."

Bulma sighed inwardly. She was afraid he would pull this on her. It wasn't even ten in the morning and he was already trying to get her to go out with him.

When they had first met, there had been a fire. He was the Desert Bandit and was aloof and unpredictable. She loved how she could never fully guess what he was about to do. Mystery was one of the few things that caught her attention. However, when she had brought him home, taken him in and all that jazz, he slowly began to conform to the city life and became, dare she say it, predictable.

They had kept going for a while after that, but after she caught him cheating on her, it had been over at once. There had been nothing to talk about because he had hit one of the biggest taboos there was on her list: not being faithful.

It had happened way before any of the other Z warriors had even assumed, but then again, Bulma wasn't one to rat a person out like that. Her nature might have been short-tempered, but she was not one to ruin another person's reputation.

She had tried to be with him again after he had been wished back, hoping he had become different during his term of being dead, but he was the same, predictable, and unfaithful man that had died. She and he were over, even though he still tried to get her to go places with him as 'friends'.

"No thanks," Bulma said as she quickly began to finish off her breakfast, "I have some stuff I need to do in the lab and tests that need going over, so I don't have time to go somewhere today."

She had tried so hard to get up and leave before he could try again, but Yamcha had been trying a lot lately.

"Oh, well then how about we go somewhere tomorrow? It'd do you good to get out of the lab for a while, maybe we could go to the new theater and see a movie or something or to the new mall that just opened."

"They built a mall? When?" Bulma asked, surprised that the city had yet another mall.

"Bulma, babe, everyone's been talking about it. It's the biggest mall to date and has been announcing their opening for almost a year!" Yamcha exclaimed as if she was nuts not to hear about it.

"Oh," was all the blue haired woman said as she got up and began to wash her plate, "Well, I guess I wasn't paying attention."

_Just like you don't pay attention to the fact that I hate crowds_. Bulma thought grudgingly. It was only the most obvious thing that she hated crowds.

When she had been sixteen, yeah, traveling and crowds were fun because she wasn't an eligible bachelorette yet. That changed on her eighteenth birthday. Once she was eighteen, all sorts of creeps took their shot at trying to woo her or even worse things to try to grab hold of her fortune. Ever since then, she was opposed to the public and avoided people at all costs. Even at work, she only had a handful of people she would even talk to or work with because she knew where they stood.

"Bulma, you'd have to be blind not to see it when you go anywhere!" Yamcha said, not dropping the subject as he got up as well, "It's right smack in the middle of town. You'd have to avoid the city entirely not to notice it."

Bulma let out the smallest, but definitely the most exasperated sigh to date.

"Yamcha, I have only been off the property once or twice this year," Bulma said, "Thrice in about a month to go visit the cemetery. I don't leave very often."

"Man," Yamcha looked shocked, "Where's your sense of adventure for the city life?"

"In the trash along side your common sense." Bulma shot back before leaving the room, "You should have known that Yamcha."

She glanced one last time at the room to noticed the amused smirk on Vegeta's lips and the sad sigh that escaped Puar. Her mother just nodded at her and her father was already too busy with jotting down an idea to notice her agitation. With that she left the house and walked over to the lab that was on the property.

She hadn't forgotten about exercising but she preferred that people didn't ask her about it. She liked her privacy. When she had been younger she didn't mind having privacy and all that.

Well, she didn't like it when Goku had tried to help her take a bath or when she had discovered that he had taken her panties after she had shown Roshi… Bulma shook her head violently at that memory. She had never been so humiliated then at that moment. It was probably then that she had slowly developed into being rather private about her life.

She had seen things that no one else had ever seen, done things that were suppose to be impossible, and yet she knew no one other then those who had witness such things along side her would believe her. So slowly she had withdrawn herself from that world into her own little world filled with the impossible. There was no way to return to that world, but she was content.

She entered her domain and grabbed some of her paperwork, hopping onto her treadmill and jogged as she looked over her work. Her father filled her inbox with the things he needed her to do, and she went over them and finished them up.

She started looking over the notes and paused for a moment. It wasn't her father's handwriting, but it was painfully familiar.

"Az," Bulma whispered as she touched the letters on the page.

The memory of the horrid looking woman flashed through her mind. She smiled as she looked at her lovingly. Most people preferred her to cover the right side of her face while she worked because they couldn't stand her acid burned scars. There had been writing on her forehead, but Bulma didn't know the language it was written in. She just remembered her as the kind old humbug of a woman she was.

Bulma chuckled lightly as she realized that she was slowly turning into her reclusive mentor, minus the scars and horrid acid burns that covered the right side of her body.

"Oh Az," Bulma thought as she looked at the equation.

She missed her so much.

The equation was as marvelous as the mind that had developed it. It was the foundation of the gravity simulator formula. She had taught it to Bulma as a young girl and now she was actually looking at the written product. She easily realized that she could use this very formula again to upgrade the gravity room so that it could go to higher gravity simulation.

The next page even had formulas to make the metal reinforced enough to withstand the higher gravity.

Bulma stopped jogging, turning off the treadmill as she did. She just stared at the paper a moment more before she dashed out of her lab, papers in hand.

_Does Daddy realize that Azel had written the very foundation formula of the gravity simulator and even left it open for improvement! Was this her original project? Why would Daddy continue it for her after she-_

Bulma's thoughts were interrupted when she turned the corner of the GR and ran straight into someone. She would have crashed hard on the ground had it not been for the strong hand that quickly wrapped round her waist and righted her quickly.

"Watch where you are going woman," a gruff voice bellowed, "You're rather embarrassing to watch since you since even a blind animal has more grace than you."

Bulma rolled her eyes as she pulled away from the Saiyan Prince, "Wow, thanks Vegeta." Sarcasm dripped off of every word she spoke, "I guess us brain types just aren't as graceful as you muscle heads. Now shove off, I need to get my work done."

She heard him growl something unintelligible as she took off again looking for her father. It was strange. He hadn't talked to her since he told her to shut up and stay out of it that time in the GR after he had gotten hurt, so it had mildly surprised her that he was talking to her again.

But that revelation would have to wait till later, she had to talk to her father.

She found him still in the kitchen with her mother going over notes as the blonde woman washed the dishes.

"Hey Daddy," Bulma said as she put the notes in front of him, "Did you realize what this was?"

"Notes that Azel had made, sweetie, I know she's a sore subject for you still, but I really needed someone to go over her work that she had stuffed in her office. I knew you'd be even angrier if someone else did this, so I put them in your inbox." Dr. Briefs said, apologizing as he looked his daughter in the eyes, "It doesn't bother you to do that, right?"

"Hm?" Bulma blinked, looking back down at the notes, "Oh, I figured they were Az's, but look at the formula. It's the foundation formula that you and I were trying to write."

Dr. Briefs swift took the notes in hand and began to scan the paper, his breath hitching as he came to the same realization that his daughter had.

"Azel, you sly devil," He said under his breath, "You did it." He looked up at his daughter with an excited twinkle in his eye, "Bulma do you know what this means?"

"Besides one very large upgrade to the GR?" Bulma said with a grin, "It also means that we could create gravity for people trying to settle on planets with gravity too high for living requirements. She even put in the formula for the metal alloy to be much more resilient."

"Well, won't that charming boy be happy to hear you can upgrade the GR. He works so hard." Bunny Briefs stated with a happy smile.

"Mom," Bulma sighed, having gone over this a thousand times, "Vegeta is not 'charming'. I don't think he appreciates you always thinking of him."

"Oh, well, if I don't think about him, no one will remember to take him meals. He is so dedicated, that's something good to find in a man. Oh, but what am I saying? I'm a married woman."

Bulma sighed again. Her mother had to be the strangest thing on the planet and unfortunately, no one let her forget it. Ever. Not even Yamcha could take more then a hour of her mother's queerness without trying to find a way out.

"Don't let him catch you saying that," Bulma warned before gathering the papers and going back to talking to her father, "Well Daddy, I'm going to start working on the upgrades for the GR. Hopefully his royal pain will let me take a look at his 'precious' GR."

With another long sigh, Bulma headed out to the garden again to see the alien warrior about 'his' GR room.

* * *

"Out!" was roared angrily as Bulma tried to push the Saiyan out of the GR.

"No," He growled angrily as he stood there, like a un-moveable rock, "I refuse to have my precious time wasted because you need to do something as stupid as a routine check. Do it when I am done with the machine!"

"You're never done with the machine!" Bulma shot back as she continued to try to push him, "Just give me a couple of minutes to sort out the current program and I'll be out of your hair!"

"What's in it for me?"

"What?"

"You heard me, what's in it for me if I even consider letting you take over my GR?"

Conniving jerk. He knew that she just wanted to get done as fast as possible and go back to her hole of a lab to hid away again like she had been doing. He probably thought that he had scared her last time he had told her off because she had considerable backed off of his training habits, but she wasn't scared. She just couldn't watch him be so self-destructive.

"A new program that allows you to go higher on the gravity scale. I need to rewrite the foundation formula for the machine with the completed formula. All I need right now is to download the current program onto a thumbnail and I'll be on my way."

"Why can't you do it with me in the GR?" He slyly shot at her.

Bulma bit back a curse as she pushed harder. She didn't like him watching her when she did menial tasks like this. Call her crazy, but she didn't like being looked at like a piece of game ready to be killed any moment.

"It's better for my health if you leave," Bulma hissed at him, her foul mood from this morning rising again.

Why did she have to dream of Azel on such a terrible day?

Vegeta growled angrily and gave her on of the best glare she had ever seen before dropping into a sitting position on the floor, crossing his legs swiftly as he made contact with the ground. Because the object she had been pushing so adamantly had moved, Bulma could only let out a cry of startle as she fell forward and crashed into the Saiyan's lap.

Apparently Vegeta hadn't expected that either since he quickly disappeared from under her just to reappear across the room quite spooked looking. Bulma had only registered the look on his face before he could reign it into another scowl.

"Ouch you big dope," Bulma growled as she slowly pulled herself off the ground where his lap use to be, "Could you not do that? It is hardly ethical for you to sit when someone is pushing all their weight on you."

"It's not my fault that you're so weak that you couldn't even make me budge a inch," Vegeta snorted, still ruffled by his reaction.

Bulma could tell that he didn't like contact by the way he dodged her mother like the plague. Her mother was harmless, but she had picked up this terrible habit of grooming people, patting them gently, and even doing this caressing contact thing that meant absolutely no sense to other people. Her father didn't even mind that she could stroke another persons arm with her fingers when she sat next to a guest. Bulma still couldn't figure out that one for the life of her, but she could understand that unexpected contact like her falling in his lap sent off alarms in his head. She knew she was lucky that he hadn't attacked her in response.

"Look," Bulma sighed, hating to be the one to give in first, "I'll go over it right now okay and see if I can't have the program up and running tomorrow for you. You don't even have to leave the stupid room, okay? Just…" she paused for a second, walking over to the computer and beginning to access it before glancing at Vegeta, "Just don't stare at me like I'm the bad guy. I'm _trying _to _help_."

"And I'm trying to train," he hissed, "which you are interrupting."

"Look! Do you want a better program or not? I don't have to give you one and I certainly don't have to let you use _my_ gravity room. I am being nice! So either you drop the attitude with me or I will make sure there _is_ no gravity room for you to train in!" Rage danced in her eyes like a passionate fire flickering to life.

She didn't mean to be such a sourpuss, but her day was already rotten. There was no salvaging it in her viewpoint and fighting with a un-compensating alien being that could crush her without a second thought was making her day worse.

She could already see that she had hurt Vegeta's delicate ego. It wasn't hard to stroke him the wrong way as of late. His nerves and social skills were already stretched way past their limits and she knew it was only a matter of time before she finally snapped them.

"Get out," he growled dangerously low.

His eyes were flashing with anger and Bulma knew that it was time to get out before he lost it further. She quickly grabbed her thumb-drive that she had put into the system and pulled it out, already done with what she had come to do. With one final huff, she stormed out of the GR, but not without yelling one last thing.

"_Vetiimiis_!" It was one of Azel's curses that she had found out meant something along the lines of 'To hell with you'… or something along those lines. It wasn't a nice way of saying it though, that much she did know.

Grabbing her pack of capsules from the kitchen, Bulma activated her motorcycle bike and hopped on, no longer caring where she went as long as it was far away from the city, far away from Yamcha, far away from her parents, and far, far away from Vegeta.

She needed to wallow somewhere where no one was looking so she didn't seem stuck up or snobbish or spoiled. She needed to vent and she needed to do it soon. Azel's memory was crushing her and nothing was going right…

"_Termir_." She muttered under her breath, knowing that meant something along the lines of 'To hell with it all'.

Funny how the words mean something so similar, but different. But she didn't stop to think about it, she was off in a rocket, not caring what deserted land she found so long as she was alone to cry in frustration.

* * *

It was strange for her to be there so early. She usually came on the same day for the whole day, then continued on with life without worry. But she was early.

That was what Baba could tell as she watched the blue haired woman head over to the private cemetery that she had made for close personal friends who weren't ones to be placed somewhere where there were tons of dead ones buried. Baba had consented to letting Bulma bury one of her own here. She had met the woman before and knew how cold the woman was with most people, so she knew that Bulma wanted her body where little others were buried.

Sort of as a way to honor the reclusive woman.

"You're early Bulma," Baba noted to the woman who was just looking at her, tears threatening to pour out of her eyes.

"Yeah, well today was a bad day, Baba," Bulma said, "I've already started to have dreams about her and then her work showed up and I _don't_ know… I just… I need to go visit her grave."

Baba sighed as she pulled the key that rested around her neck off and handed it to the blue haired minx.

"Don't wallow all day. I highly doubt that she even _likes_ the fact that you miss her this much."

"Thanks Baba," Bulma whimpered before heading straight for the cemetery.

The old woman sighed. It was high time that Azel put Bulma back in place, she couldn't go on like this. Baba grumbled under her breath. If she even risked fetching the raven haired woman, there was HFIL to pay.

Bulma had gone straight for the gravestone, memorizing the trail as a younger woman. It was bizarre, her mentor had been dead for almost ten years and still the wound of loss ached as if she had just died yesterday. When she was busy or with her friends, the memory didn't surface too much, but when she did remember her mentor, her heart instantly ached.

"Hey," Bulma said to the grave, touching the name of her teacher who had no surname to write upon the stone, "It's me…"

With that, she sat down, leaning against the grave and began to cry aloud, ranting to her dead mentor about everything that had been going on and trying to find some guidance by talking aloud to no one.

"I just can't take it," she finally said, "I see why you were so against welcoming other people into your life, it's hard. I know, I know, friends are important and it is vital to have them, but it hurts when none of them visit or your ex-boyfriend who practically lives with you doesn't even know you even after more than _ten_ years of dating! I mean, come on! Then there's Vegeta! I can't stand him! He… he…" she trailed off for a moment before beginning to laugh in irony, "He reminds me of you and it hurts. Az, what I am going to do?"

"Well for one thing, you can stop talking to a stone," Baba's voice said as she floated over to Bulma on her large crystal ball, "Azel wasn't a friend of mine for a long time, but I knew her enough to know that she wouldn't like her passing to hinder you like this Bulma."

"Oh?" Bulma said sarcastically, "Then what would she want?"

"She would want you to move on. Trust me when I say I know she's happy where she is," Baba said with a sigh, "I had to head over to King Yamma for a client of mine and she was there. She has been hired by Yamma to keep HFIL in order. She looked thoroughly excited to do so."

"Sounds like her," Bulma scoffed, smiling as she listened to Baba's story.

"She wasn't scarred or hurt anymore, she was whole," Baba said with a nod, "And quite a force to be reckoned with apparently. Without her burns crippling her body, she might be one of the strongest people I've ever met. She's beautiful too." She added that part so Bulma knew that Azel's haggard appearance was no longer causing people to look down on her.

"I'm glad. She's very vain, you know? It hurt her to see that she was so… horrid. I didn't mind, I always thought she was beautiful…"

"You saw a side of her no one but your family saw, Bulma, of course you saw beyond her looks. Now, I think your temper tantrum is done, so go home and be with your family. Be sure to show up on her day of death and I'll see if I can't get in contact with her." Baba said, nodding her head in a bow before floating off without waiting for a goodbye or consent.

She knew what Bulma would say so there was no reason hearing it again.

* * *

It was close to midnight when Bulma showed back up at the compound. She had lingered at the grave, retelling her tales of her time at Namek to the hunk of stone. She knew Azel really couldn't hear her, but it made her feel better. She cut the engine of her bike a few blocks away from the compound and capsulated it so she didn't disturb anyone.

She headed to the kitchen, just to grab something to eat. She hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast and her mood was finally calm. Talking to the gravestone always made her feel better.

She left the lights off as she walked to the cupboards and pulled out a midnight snack.

She glanced at the GR that had been turned off for the night, quickly thinking about the mess she had made with the temperamental prince. She would need to finish the program quickly to placate him.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the deep growl that came from the kitchen table. She glanced over at the table to see a shadowed figure in the dark room.

"Oh, hi Vegeta," Bulma said lowly, worried over how this would go. It appeared as if he was still quite sore about what she had said.

"_Vetiimiis,_" he hissed.

Bulma froze as she heard the word escape his lips. It sounded like how Azel use to say it, without an accent that someone unfamiliar with the language –like Bulma- would say it.

"Oh… sorry about that… I just spouted off the first thing that came to mind and that was it…" Bulma said as she bit her lip in guilt, "I'm guessing you know what language that is…"

"Yes," he said with a snarl, "but what I want to know is how the hell a little _fool_ like yourself ever heard a single syllable of Saiya-jin."

"That's Saiyan? Oh…" Bulma said with surprise, "My mentor would mutter different languages when she was angry. She was in charge depicting languages and learning to speak them, so not surprising she muttered something that wasn't… human."

"A pathetic human could speak Saiya-jin?" Vegeta laughed cruelly, "No doubt she butchered the language and mispronounced the syllables as badly as you did."

"She could speak it fluently," Bulma said, her tone lowering as she tried to hold in her anger, "In fact, she spoke it perfectly. She said that word just like _you_did."

"No pathetic, stupid, weak human could speak our language like a Saiya-jin." Vegeta snarled, his temper still poor from their last argument.

"Oh really?" Bulma exploded. No one talked about her mentor like that, "Well let me tell you, mister! She was not like most _humans_! Most humans are sick beings that go on everyday trapped in desires of riches, power, and beauty! But Azel was not even enraptured by the thought of any of it! She was nothing more then a scholar looking for truth and the thrills of invention. She might have been possessive about her things, but never _ever_ did she lust for more then what she was given! She wanted no riches, she wanted no power, and she didn't even want her beauty returned to her by cosmetic surgery! She lived with herself as she was. So before you start spouting off things about people you don't know maybe you should shut your trap because then you'll look less like the spoiled, conceited prince you are! With your lust for power you're not any better than us _weak_ _humans_!"

Bulma clapped a hand over her mouth as she stared at his dark figure with wide eyes. She could not believe she had just said that! It was one thing to be angry that he insulted her mentor's intelligence, but it was another thing to say he was like human when he clearly was anything but human. It was an insult worse than calling him Frieza's lapdog.

Fear penetrated her thoughts as she watched him. She could feel the heat of his ki as it rose dangerously. Today was a bad day and she had probably made it her very last day.

However, instead of attacking her like she thought he would, he quietly got up, shoved his chair in, stalked out of the house, slammed the door to the point of breaking the hinges, headed to the GR, and turned on the machine to probably a ridiculous gravity rate. It always amazed her how much self control he actually had when the situation demanded it.

It took a good fifteen minutes before Bulma was actually able to register that she was no longer in trouble. Her tensed muscles relaxed and she no longer looked like a deer caught in the headlights. Guilt washed over her as she looked at the ground, disgusted with herself as she realized how terrible that was to say to him.

She felt like crying, but knew that he would only hate her more if he ever found out she cried because of what she said to _him_. She let out a long sigh, giving the heavens a long suffering look as she mumbled a few words to Kami in his watch tower above to give her strength. She headed to her room, swiftly changed into pjs before burying herself in her blankets, wishing silently that she had never risen to his barb.

She knew his pride had taken serious blows lately and he was still trying to recover what little pride that was left, but she still had gone and attacked it.

It was times like this she wished that Azel was still alive. The woman always knew how to handle things like this. With one last sigh, Bulma willed herself to sleep and hoped that tomorrow would be better.


	2. Chapter 2

So, my roommate couldn't stop laughing at the idea of me posting this. She is an avid reader and thus she is as thoroughly addicted to Bulma/Vegeta stories as I am. When I told her what I had written on the first chapter, she laughed at the complete silliness of it all....

But fans are scary!! I mean! Come on, if I am suppose to be writing something else and then change to a whole different anime... they are going to be ticked! So if you are one of my Naruto fans or Sakura/Deidara fans.... IT WASN'T ME DON'T KILL ME! GO AFTER THE ROOMMATE!!!

ARGH! She's watching the Ginyu force... please save me!!!

So without further ado:

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_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 2

_Saiyans are not Humans  


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**Disclaimer: Yeah... Like I would write DBZ more like DBV (Dragon Ball Vegeta)**

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Bulma felt like a coward as she hid in her lab for the next three weeks. She still couldn't believe what she had said to the egotistical, short tempered prince and got away with her life. After having a horrible night's sleep that night, she had locked herself away in her lab, not coming out at all. She had food sent to her lab and she slept on spare bedroom that was conveniently put there just incase she couldn't leave but needed to rest.

She had lived in there for almost three weeks, inventing without disturbances. She had made several improvements to the GR, but hadn't gone out to apply them to the current machine. In fact, she felt so embarrassed about her loose tongue that she had created at least twenty new types of battle droids for Vegeta and about 60 of each type.

However, she couldn't hide anymore. Embarrassed as she was, she had to go and make amends with the big brute because the guilt was killing her!

So she finally stepped out of her lab, headed straight for her room during the time that she knew that Vegeta was in the GR. She took a long shower, dressed in jeans and a loose shirt and headed down to face the music during breakfast time.

She came down to her mother humming a happy tune as she cleaned the pan she was using, her father relaxing for once by doing a sudoku puzzle, and Yamcha talking about his training at the gym. Apparently from what he had just finished saying, he was training there instead of on her lawn. However, there was no angry Saiyan glaring at her. Vegeta was not there.

"Oh, good morning Bulma!" Her mother said cheerfully, the first to always notice her entering a room.

She could be as quiet as possible and her mother _always_ knew when she was about to enter the room or was hiding in the hallway.

"Good morning Mom," Bulma said with a nod, entering the room and helping herself to some food.

"Hey babe!"

"Hello deary."

Both her ex and father greeted her quickly before her mother was able to get in another word.

"It's so nice to finally see you back at the table! I mean, it has been quiet with both you and that nice young man working so hard that you can't come to meals."

"Can't come to meals?" Bulma asked, scrunching up her face in confusion, "Momma, what do you mean? Hasn't Vegeta come out for food?"

"Oh no," Bunny said as she shook her head, "I even tried to take food to him, but he never touched it. If he did, which was only once in a while, it wasn't his usual amount. Maybe a plate of two, but other then that, I don't think he's left the Gravity Room. That boy is very dedicated you know."

_Yeah, dedicated to killing himself!_ Bulma thought as she glanced out at the GR.

"Hey mom, I think I go and try to convince Vegeta to eat his meal with us," Bulma said, her gut twisting when she thought of how little food he was taking it.

_It's probably just enough for a Saiyan to live off of_, she thought as she quickly exited the room.

"Hey Babe," Yamcha called out after her, "Do you want me to come with?"

"No," Bulma said shaking her head, "I'll deal with it myself."

_It's my fault he's in there to begin with_, Bulma thought morbidly as she slowly headed over to the GR's door.

Her hands were clenched together as she nervously neared the door. She felt guilt roar through her system as she heard the sound of the machine working as hard as it could go. She finally was able to pry one hand away from the other and knocked on the door.

"Vegeta…" she said loud enough to hear through the door, but nothing louder.

She felt ashamed of what she had said yet again. Her eyes stayed glued to the door as she listened for a reply.

"Go away," was snarled viciously without missing a single beat.

"I would, but I need to talk to you first…" Bulma said, trying hard not to flee like he had suggested only seconds ago.

She knew he was in a foul mood by the way he was talking to her.

"There's _nothing_ to talk about _Onna_."

"I'm sorry. You're not like a human." Bulma said as she looked down, ignoring his early said words, "You're a Saiyan and I had no right to compare you with us."

There was a long pause, but eventually she heard a "just go away" from him. It didn't have the venom that the previous words had. It had sounded tired.

"I heard that you weren't eating much," Bulma pressed on, "So how about you come out, tell me what a weak pathetic human I am, how you're going to enjoy killing me after you defeat Goku, and we can go get some breakfast?"

There was no response. Bulma thought that maybe he was ignoring her, but for some strange reason she couldn't help but think something was wrong.

"Hey Vegeta?" Bulma call to him again, "At least tell me to screw off or something!" She lifted her head and stood on her tiptoes to look into window. "Vegeta?"

She almost fell backwards, thoroughly startled, when she realized that he was lying on the floor face down, unconscious. She quickly pulled out her palm pilot and connected it to the GR's mainframe, entering in the override code to shut down the system. Without hesitation, the moment the GR powered down, she threw the door open and made a mad dash to his side.

"Vegeta!" She yelled in alarm as she rolled him over so he was on his back instead.

He smelt almost as bad as when he went on his search for Goku in outer space, but at least then he didn't looked half starved and pale.

"Come on Vegeta," Bulma said as she lightly began to tap his face with her hand, "Wake up!"

Instead of waking up, he started coughing. Bulma literally became as white as a ghost. Vegeta wasn't suppose to get sick. His _Saiyan_ blood should have a very strong immune system since they were warriors. His breathing was irregular and she realized that his skin was like a raging fire, worse then Goku's felt like when the other Saiyan was in full health.

"No, no-nonono-no!" Bulma whimpered as she tired to figure this out as she called her father's number on her phone.

The kid from the future never said anything about Vegeta getting sick and dying! That was her one and only comfort. That meant that he would probably live, but still… how did a _Saiyan_ like him- sturdy, strong, self-dependent- get sick?

"Hello?" Her father answered from the other side of the phone.

"Daddy, get Yamcha out here quick, there's something wrong with Vegeta! We'll get him to the medical wing, please meet us there!"

Bulma closed her phone and returned her attentions to the Saiyan. This was all her fault and she knew it.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered as a couple of tears fell from her eyes, "I was just angry. I didn't mean any of it."

Bulma just prayed that they could figure out what was wrong with Vegeta before it was too late.

* * *

"He has a type of mutation of Pneumonia," Dr. Briefs announced as he looked at the x-rays he had done, "I don't think we can catch it, it looks to be like a Saiyan version of the virus and can only affect him."

"Pneumonia?" Bulma asked, standing up from the chair she had been sitting in, "How can he even catch such a thing? Isn't the Saiyan immune system better then ours?"

"It can be. I have seen only one case of low Saiyan immunity, but if I had to guess it was because of his lack of taking care of himself. If he had been eating and resting properly, he would have been fine. But instead he pushed himself to the point of breaking and his immunity lowered from lack of care."

"So how does this work?" Bulma asked, glancing into the room that Vegeta was currently resting in, "Do we treat it as if it is our pneumonia or what?"

"Yes," Dr. Briefs nodded, "We treat it the same, but knowing the lad, he won't want to stay in bed for the amount of time it will take from him to recover. However, if he doesn't rest up, it will continually come back, eventually killing the lad."

"I see…" Bulma's eyes lowered for a moment before she looked back up at her father, "I'll take care of him, so don't worry about it."

"Alright," her father agreed, scratching Scratch on its ear, "If you need anything, just ask, I will get it for you if I can. Just make sure that he doesn't get up and move around much when he comes around. Oh, and your mother is making up some food for him, so call her if he wakes, let's at least try to get some food into his stomach. He'll need all his strength to fight off this ailment."

"Right," Bulma said with a nod, pausing a second before heading in.

Something her father had said suddenly didn't make any sense.

"Hey Dad, you said that you have seen only one case of low Saiyan immunity. I've never seen Goku unhealthy before and he's afraid of needles so you couldn't possible mean him…"

Her father looked at her with a surprised look before clearing his throat and casting her a puzzled glance, "Sweetheart… Azel was a Saiyan… didn't she tell you that?"

Bulma suddenly became quiet, as she shook her head no, her face drained of all emotion as she quietly walked into the room Vegeta was resting in, sitting down on the chair before staring off into space.

Dr. Briefs looked at her a bit longer before sighing and shaking his head at Azel's methods. He should have known she would keep it from Bulma. If Bulma had learned that Azel was an alien, she might have gone off to look for others to heal Azel when both he and Azel knew there was no cure. She would have met a terrible fate at the hands of people Azel struggled to forget.

"Azel, you could have at least mentioned it," Dr. Trunks Briefs muttered as he walked away.

* * *

Azel… Azel had been a Saiyan the whole time. It made sense now. She was stoic like Vegeta, aggressive when people got offensive, a temper that was as unpredictable as Mother Nature, very possessive of the few things that she had categorized as _hers_, and she had a very large appetite.

Bulma tried not to laugh at the irony as tears slid down her face. She had told Vegeta that Azel was like no human just to find out that she was the same race as Vegeta. Irony had it out for her, didn't it?

But… Azel was different than even Vegeta in some areas and more like Goku in her playful nature. She didn't like a lot of people so she only had a playful nature with few people. Bunny Briefs was the only one who could make the Saiya-jin laugh and smile without restraint. Bulma could make her smile and tease, but never let herself wide open as she had with Bunny.

But then again, she wasn't like any warrior that Bulma had seen. True, she was strong compared to humans, but she was sluggish in her movements, not like Vegeta who was agile and swift like a feline. But she did have burns down one side of her body that limited her range of movement. She stretched and practiced a few katas, but was usually more interested in figuring out a scientific anomaly instead of fighting.

Bulma was so confused as she just sat there, watching Vegeta since that was where her eyes came to rest as she tried to sort this out.

She sat there for hours as she tried to figure out what she had just learned. All the memories of Azel taking care of her and guarding her and teaching her and playing with her filled her head as she watched Vegeta's chest go up and down as the breathing tube shoved up his nose helped him regulate his breathing.

A groan was what pulled her from her confused thoughts.

"Vegeta?" Bulma asked, touching his hand that rested at his side above the covers.

"What am I doing in here, Woman?" Vegeta asked gruffly as he began to sit up.

It took all of Bulma's weight to push him back down onto the bed by his shoulders, "You're sick. You need to rest."

"Saiyans don't get sick," he refuted, right before a wave of coughs erupted from his throat.

"Looks like they do when they don't take care of themselves," Bulma said, grabbing the water off the bed stand and offering it to him, "Drink some, it will make the coughing lessen."

She held her offering, watching as he casted her a mean glare as he fought to get air back into his lungs. She didn't back down once, but lightened her expression as she tried to coax him into taking a drink. Worry began to fill her as he continued to cough and gasped for air. She could hear the rumble of fluids in his chest as he tried to regulate his breathing.

"I don't need your pity," Vegeta hissed between coughs when he could manage, trying to push her hand with the cup away.

"You don't have my pity. Pity isn't something I give to people like you: dedicated and strong spirited. I am giving you my sympathy and help. Now drink it before I hook up a feeding tube and pour it down your throat through there." Bulma said, hardening her voice to show him there was no arguing.

It would defeat the purpose of drinking the water, but he didn't need to know that.

He coughed a couple more bouts before accepting the water and choked it down the best he could while he fought off coughing. Meanwhile, Bulma quickly texted her mother that Vegeta was awake so she could bring up some food.

_'Don't say anything to him, just bring the food in and then go. He seems too tired for conversation'_ she added to the text message before sending it down to her mother.

"How do you feel?" Bulma asked, setting down her phone as she quickly took the empty glass from his hands, feeling his forehead with the back of her hand with her unoccupied hand. He was burning up.

She knew that he probably felt terrible, but she was hoping to maybe learn if something was bothering him. Pneumonia had many symptoms and she was hoping to learn which ones he was experiencing that her and her father couldn't observe.

"Like I'm wasting my time lying here." Vegeta said as he slowly pushed himself to an upright position, "I need to be training."

"No," Bulma said as she once again pushed him back down with all her might, "You are ill. You need to rest and recover, Vegeta. This isn't some wound that will heal regardless of if you rest or not, this is a virus and your body _needs_ you to rest in order to bring you back to health. Do you understand?"

"I only understand that you are trying my patience, woman," Vegeta growled as he fought to get back up.

"You have pneumonia," Bulma yelled, getting worked up as she fought to keep him down, "It attacks your lungs and if you don't rest, it will kill you! Why do you think it is so hard to breath? Why do you think we went to the trouble of putting a breathing tube on you if you weren't _fine_?"

"I am the Prince of all Saiyans, Onna! I DON'T GET SICK!"

"Oh, no, Saiyans can get sick quite easily if they don't keep themselves well taken care of. If they are pushing themselves past their limits and don't get enough to eat or sleep enough to recover energy, their immunity level drops quite remarkably," the cheery voice of Bunny said as she pushed in a large cart of food, "However, unlike humans who can get sick easier then Saiyans, their ability to combat ailment is remarkably low, that's why their immunity to getting sick is so high, because they usually die from ailments."

Both Vegeta and Bulma stopped fighting, Bulma hovering over Vegeta as she had her hands on his shoulders and he was resting his weight on his forearms from when he was trying to push himself up. Both just stared at her, unbelievingly. Mrs. Bunny Briefs _never_ made that much sense in her usual ramblings, nor did she ever talk like that.

She looked at them for a moment before realizing the position that they were in, "Oh aren't you two the cutest little love birds?"

"What!" Both yelped, Bulma pulling away from Vegeta after pushing him back onto bed.

"Mom! Vegeta and I are _not_ love birds! We do not like each other!"

"I am not _cute_! Nor am I that blasted woman's-" Vegeta had started, pulling himself up to look at the blond woman, before he started coughing again.

He fell back onto the bed, coughing heartily as he intake of air rumbled loudly.

"Oh dear," Bunny said as she watched him for a moment, "You shouldn't be exerting yourself Vegeta-kun or you won't recover fully from this."

"Mom…" Bulma said confused stare, stating what Vegeta also wondered, "How do you know so much about Saiyan immunity and health care?"

"Hmmm?" Bunny looked at her daughter with a smile before turning around and beginning to leave, "Az was my best friend, Bulma, you seem to forget that."

Bulma suddenly understood. Vegeta did not.

"Woman, what is that crazy female you call your mother talking about?" Vegeta asked agitatedly as he lied on his back, tired from coughing so hard.

"Well," Bulma said as she sat down in the chair next to the bed, chewing on her lip for a moment as she thought about how to say it. "I recently just had a huge dose of humble pie…" She started, looking at Vegeta as she continued, "First off, I'm sorry. I had come to the GR to tell you that. It wasn't right of me to say things that aren't true. You aren't human and you don't act like us pathetic weak humans."

"Is this going to be long winded? Because I really am getting tired of listening to your babbling," Vegeta said with a gruff look, but Bulma didn't miss the weariness in his eyes.

He was trying to be mean to chase her off so she didn't know how tired he was. Bulma chose to ignore the insult and continued on.

"I'm trying to apologize. You were right, I was wrong, okay? No human can speak Saiya-jin like that. My father just told me that Azel was a Saiyan, okay?" Tears began to burn in her eyes as she grew angrier and louder, "She never told me, but she had the gall to tell everyone else in my family that she was a Saiyan! How was I suppose to know? So you were right! Saiyans are everything that Humans are not!"

Vegeta stared at her for a moment, his eyes a little wider than usual, but perhaps that was because he had learned about the survival of one single female Saiyan.

"Where is she?"

"Huh?" Bulma asked, looking dumbfounded at his remark.

"The female Saiyan! Where is she?" Vegeta asked before coughing again.

There was something in his eyes that she couldn't place. Perhaps hope? Hope to mate with another of his kind and keep the bloodline pure? Bulma didn't know, but just the memory of the female Saiyan made her eyes dull.

"She died shortly after my twentieth birthday." Bulma said as she wrung her hands a bit.

Vegeta looked at her for a moment, the something that had been there was gone. His appearance grew somber while he muttered out a, "Who killed her?"

That brought back a memory. Azel was laughing as she lied there, her pale features looked rather amused, _'I am taking a road that none of my people had ever dared traveled. This is far more terrifying. I am dying without murder.'_

Bulma had placed it as last minute ramblings that dying people say, but now it made sense. Vegeta didn't ask _what_ killed her, he asked _who_ killed her.

"Time." Bulma said as she looked at the somber prince, "Time was who killed her. She didn't get killed by anything but the end of her time. She died in a hospital, not a battlefield. She died because her body had decomposed greatly because of an ailment. She didn't let anyone kill her, she learned of her disease and contemplated her death. Azel let time kill her… something Saiyans don't normally do."

"Time?" he gave out a low chuckle, "She must have been brave to let time be her killer. Saiyans live until another comes who is stronger and are killed by them."

"Azel did not." Bulma said, pausing as she watched Vegeta slowly become more placid, "You need to eat, Vegeta."

"Not hungry." He grumbled, coughing a little as he stared off.

"Well, I don't really care," Bulma said as she stood up and pushed the cart next to his bed, "You are going to eat because whether you think you are hungry or not, your body needs nourishment, especially since you haven't been eating enough. Now eat."

He looked away from her, probably ready to tell her to screw off or mind her own business. She couldn't let that happen.

She looked at him, pulling herself close to him as she mimicked something that Azel use to do to her when she wanted Bulma to feel comforted or comply with a request. She rubbed her nose on his temple, ignoring the flinch he made as she deeply inhaled his scent.

"You are not allowed to die." She whispered in his ear before moving her lips to his temple and kissed him gently, "Do you understand?"

Bulma pulled away, not looking him in the face as she pulled out a dish and set it on his lap.

"Eat," she said as she snapped her eyes to his.

Vegeta was quite startled by her last move. Never in all his life did he think that someone would dare touch him in such a familiar way. What she had done was common though for female or male Saiya-jins to do when they were trying to convince or comfort another one of their kind. But the thing with the lips was new. That wasn't Saiya-jin at all, yet he couldn't make himself hate it.

Maybe it was the fever or maybe it was the aching in his chest, he wasn't sure, but he sat up and began to eat. He wasn't feeling hungry, like he had told her, but his body was responding ravenously to the food. It wasn't long before he had finished eating all of the food that had been offered on the tray, his stomach content and full, and his fatigue catching up with him.

He was going to yell at the female for touching his person at all, but exhaustion had taken over and he could only quietly welcome her assistance in laying him back down, fluffing his pillow a little, and pulling the covers over him. It saved him the energy, which he didn't seem to have.

"Let's just hope you will be able to keep all that down," Bulma whispered as she began to pull the cart away, "Go back to sleep Vegeta, and if I come back to see you gone, you'll be sorry mister!"

How tempting it was to try to get up and fly somewhere else just to spite her. Vegeta smirked wickedly at the idea, but found that he couldn't even really get up. Though he would never admit it to that blue haired banshee, he was grateful for her coming when she did. He could feel himself slowly losing his strength as he went day and night without stop, only pausing to cut the edge off his hunger. If she hadn't show when she did… he would have been in big trouble.

His mind quickly changed subjects as he began to think about the female Saiya-jin that had once lived here on Earth. She had been Bulma's mentor. That was interesting in itself. Bulma had just pulled a move that only Saiyans did, perhaps she had picked it up from this Azel? He had no interest in mating with the Saiyan woman when he had first asked about her, it was no doubt very obvious she was older then him and would refuse such a request even to a royal member. He just wanted to ask her about some things.

He was utterly confused about this planet. It was a mud ball, backwater planet and yet for the life of him, he couldn't figure it out. Kakarott was no help since he didn't understand the Saiyan culture and he was hoping to get information from someone who understood both cultures. Perhaps even be apart of his pack.

He once again berated himself for killing off Nappa. Though the man was an absolute muscle-headed idiot, it was nice to have some mental connection with someone. His mind felt lonely without the assuring hum of another presence within it.

That was how Saiyans thrived. They formed mind links with their pack and always had their conscious brushing against the others in the bond. It was a bond of trust and of friendship. Saiyans didn't last long without some sort of mental connection. The could push their thoughts into the others minds, making it easier to work together, but could easily shield their thoughts from them as well.

He wanted to know how the female Saiyan had lived so long without another's mind touching hers.

His mind slowly succumbed to the darkness as he drifted off, ignoring the pain in his body from his infected lungs. He had experienced worse pain, so the ever present ache didn't bother him. He let out on a large sigh before he was completely out.

* * *

Bulma turned another page as she began to go over her equations. She quickly stole a glance at Vegeta's sleeping form to make sure he was still out. He hadn't woken up since two days ago. By then her father decided that it would be best for him to recover in his own bed, so once again Yamcha had to carry him.

He was too heavy for Bulma or even her father to lift, in fact, she wondered how much he weighed since it felt like a ton to her. Muscle density would affect his overall weight as well…

Bulma looked back down at her equations when she realized she was getting off track again. She was still slightly flustered from the first day when she began to clean him up. He smelt terrible from the lack of hygiene, so she cleaned him up a little so that at least he didn't reek. He still was dirty, but he didn't stink. She managed to get him into one of his nightshirts and shorts he used for sleeping.

Her dad, soon after she had quickly washed the alien, decided that it was time to change to bag hooked up to the catheter. Vegeta was going to freak when they finally changed it while he was conscious, she just knew it. She squirmed a bit when she realized that she was going to be alone this week with him. She was going to have to take care of him while everyone else was gone.

Great. No one to hear her scream when he finally lost his patience with her and killed her off with no trouble. Being sick as he was, he was bound to lose his temper when she would have to refuse letting him up.

Her mom was ready with his next meal, but was waiting for the text to bring it up. Bulma didn't think that he was going to wake again, but then again, the guy lived to prove her wrong.

He began another coughing fit, pulling Bulma from her thoughts. She moved to his side to try to console his weary body into calming down. She had been doing so each time he began to cough or his shivering became too severe to ignore. She already was sporting bruises on her arms and chest from where he would swat her or grab her on pure instinct. She had finally figured out that she had to slowly approach him, even when unconscious, and somehow let him know who was approaching.

She quietly hushed him as she rubbed his clothed back. Her other hand going for the bowl of water with a washcloth soaking in it. She pulled her hand away, but seated herself on his bed. She wrung the cloth and spread it across her hand so she could gently wipe the sweat from his face.

He had curled up on his side, away from her as he continued to cough heartily, so she cupped his face pulling it towards her as she moved the cool clothe closer to his face to sooth his hot skin.

A hand snapped around her wrist that was holding onto Vegeta's face and his eyes opened so she could see his onyx eyes. He wasn't able to keep them open much longer as he began to cough again. His eyes watered at the struggle of breathing as he tried to fill his lungs again.

"It's just me, Vegeta," Bulma said, continuing to move her hand with the cloth to his face while he held firmly to her other hand.

"What… are… you doing… Onna?" He managed out, but without the wanted amount venom he was trying to apply.

"Taking care of you," Bulma said calmly, wiping his face with the cool cloth, ridding it of the sweat that had collected as well as the tears from lack of oxygen.

He had managed to overcome his coughing bout and was breathing deeply to soothe his burning lungs. It wasn't lost on Bulma how much he leaned into the cool cloth instead of pulling away. It must have felt wonderful on his burning skin.

"Who told you that you could touch me anyways, let alone _take care of me_."

He was in a foul mood, Bulma noticed, but ignored that fact as she continued to clean him up. Once she was done, she pulled away and quickly sent a text off to her mother.

"I asked you a question, Onna."

"Oh really?" Bulma feigned innocence, "I thought you were just spouting off nonsense again. You never know with fevers, they can make you say the craziest things."

She knew right now was not the best time to bait him, but she still couldn't help it. This would probably be the only time the high and mighty Prince Vegeta ever laid in bed with a temperature and a cough. She had to milk this for all it was worth.

She was careful about not letting her sleeves ride up to expose the purple and indigo blotches that adorned her wrists. She was fine, they just looked bad. It wasn't like she hadn't ever take a full swing on accident from one of her friends before. Goku as a child use to leave all sorts of bruises when she had played with him. It was to be expected from his lack of control, but she never blamed him.

"I do not spout nonsense," Vegeta grumbled before trying to get up.

"I know you're not about to try and get up," Bulma said testily as she began to push him back again, "Because you know you need your rest."

"I have rested enough Onna," Vegeta stated, easily keeping himself sitting up despite her pushing, "I need to go back to training."

"No," Bulma said as she narrowed her eyes, "Your fever hasn't even broken. My mother already told you that Saiyans die from ailments, so you need to rest and recover!"

"Your mother spouts off all sorts of nonsense! How do you know that it wasn't just her usually blabbering?"

"Because my mother took care of Azel to her dying day," Bulma roared, a twinge of pain filling her heart at the memory.

"Oh my, are you two love birds at it again?" Bunny's voice giggled from the door.

The woman looked very pleased to find her daughter once again hovering over Vegeta the same way as before he was propping himself up only a little bit higher.

"We aren't love birds!" Bulma and Vegeta both yelled.

"Whatever you say," Bunny shrugged, "I'll leave this here. Get better, okay Vegeta-kun?"

"He will if he _stays in bed,_" Bulma hissed at him as she tried to push him down.

"Not working anymore, Onna," Vegeta whispered to her with a triumphant smirk.

He was no longer physically weakened to the point of her being able to push him around. Though he was barely strong enough to keep her from pushing him about, but he decided that that tidbit of information was unnecessary for her to know.

"Don't make me find a way to keep you down or you will end up regretting it, Vegeta," Bulma muttered back to him as she watched her mother hum as she left.

"You can't do anything to stop me, Woman," Vegeta said as he pulled himself up further, "You have nothing on me, I will do as you please."

Bulma had to think quickly. She couldn't let him get up and she couldn't let him get back into the GR. If he went back now, he would surely die from this ailment. Vegeta was a jerk, but she didn't want him to die. However, he was right. She had nothing that he couldn't just take for himself…

Expect for one thing that had peaked his interest only days before hand.

Azel.

"Stay in bed and I'll take you to meet with Baba," Bulma said as she stared him in the eyes, "She promised to contact Azel for me. You could talk to her as well. I promised to be there at the end of the week."

"What makes you think that I want to talk to the female Saiyan? If I wanted to see her and talk to her I would just follow you there and demand it then." Vegeta said with a smirk, pausing where he was to get her defeated response.

Her eyes narrowed, lips pursed together in agitation before sighing heavily.

Vegeta waited for the words of defeat to appear on her lips.

"Then if you don't rest, I won't go." Bulma said, "And if I don't go, you'll be living with a very angry, _loud_ human woman."

Vegeta's smirk disappeared, a scowl taking its place as he came to a very difficult crossroad.

He could reject her threats, but then live with her being extra loud and extra annoyed- which he learned were very bad for his hearing- or he could give in and learn what Azel had done.

His need for guidance weighed out in the end.

He crossed his arms angrily as he slouched against the headboard. He was scowling as he stared anywhere but at her triumphant smirk.

"Alright then," Bulma said with a happy tone, "Let's get you fed mister!"

This was going to be a loooong recovery…


	3. Chapter 3

Ouch. Harsh crowd.

Well, I am already invested in this story and as long as someone is willing to read it, I guess I should be happy that anyone even reads my work.

Not much to say about anything other then I would love to hear from the crowds to see that you think about this story. ARGH! Roommate attacking me- a different one.

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 3

_The Road to Recovery is Bumpy  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: Yeah... If I did, I would redo the live-action movie.... or just not have one**

* * *

Bulma tried to refrain from smiling as she made her way downstairs. After feeding the Saiyan, she had worn him out with a little argument and soon afterwards he was out like a light.

She had decided that he would probably be out for at least one sleep cycle of thirty minutes, so she was taking the time to go fetch more of her work and put her finished work in the outbox for her father to take.

"Hey Babe," Yamcha's voice greeted her when she entered the kitchen.

"Hey Yamcha," she replied half-heartedly as she continued on her trek.

"Did you finally give up on Vegeta?"

Bulma paused, looking at her ex-boyfriend with surprise and confusion, "No, why would I? I just got him to go back to sleep."

He seemed disappointed, but shrugged and continued to sip on the coffee he had in his hand, "Too bad. I don't think he's worth all this fuss. Let him die, then we won't have to worry about him turning on us." He paused for a moment, turning a hard stare onto her. "Bulma, he's not a good guy. He's more like a stray dog that needs to be put down. He'll turn on you."

Bulma's expression become dark as she turned back to her notes, trying hard not to start yelling and wake up the stubborn man she had just gotten to sleep.

"I seem to recall that I had picked up a _stray dog_ from the desert before," her words were cutting, "And that dog has bitten back several times." She turned a glare on him, "But for some reason I kept the stray dog and _he_ turned out fine, besides the fact that he still bites the hand that feeds him. So maybe that_ dog_ should be more careful about what he says, because I can easily turn it against him. I have practice, just ask my new stray."

"You use to be fun, Bulma," Yamcha sighed.

"You use to be faithful."

"You know that it's deeper then that. You've been cold to me- to everyone- since-"

"Don't you dare say it Yamcha," Bulma growled as she snapped up from looking at her papers, her eyes burning with anger, "Don't you dare bring my mentor into this! She was a wonderful woman!"

"She hated me!"

"And now I see why! You don't talk ill of the deceased! You don't talk ill of my mentor! She was there more than even you were! How is that possible Yamcha when she has been dead for almost ten years?"

"You didn't seem this upset when I was killed! And I was killed by the man _you're_ taking care of!"

"Get off it! I saw what happened that day and you were killed by those green things! You didn't even last long enough to get killed by a Saiyan! Krillin lasted longer than you and you all use to poke fun at him for being peaceful! A peaceful monk lasted longer then you!"

"I was caught off guard!"

"You were being your overconfident self!"

"I don't have to take this from you, Bulma!" Yamcha yelled as he stood up from where he sat, his eyes glowing from anger.

"No, you don't. Leave, go back to that apartment you have down town, and go be with a girl who will actually stoop so low as to satisfy your _human_ needs!" Bulma hissed, pointing to the door with a deadly glare, "I don't want to hear from you until you can apologize. Really truly apologize and not some half-crap job."

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

And with that, he had stormed out of the house, slamming the door and no doubt waking the sick Saiyan upstairs. Bulma growled as she headed back upstairs, no longer able to switch out her work because she knew the Saiyan would try to get up if she wasn't present.

Bulma crept up the stairs, opening the door softly just incase he really was asleep. However, that was not the case, the moment she peaked in she saw those onyx black eyes staring at her.

"Sorry, go back to sleep okay?" Bulma said as she slowly walked into the room.

"It's hard to sleep when you and that idiot are making all that racket," Vegeta grumbled as he shifted himself on the bed.

"Well, you don't have to worry about that anymore, Yamcha isn't coming back. Not until he's ready to apologize," Bulma explained, sitting back on the chair near the desk, "So just rest."

"I'm not an invalid, woman."

"No, you are sick, which is entirely new to you. Sleep."

"Stop telling me what to do."

"Maybe if you did what you were suppose to do I wouldn't have to keep telling you Vegeta. Look, I know its your hobby to make my life miserable, but could you just put that on hold till later? I need to get some work done." Bulma said, shuffling through her papers to find _something_ she had missed so she could work on it for now.

"Why are you doing it here then," Vegeta asked, watching her from his spot on the bed.

He would have gotten up a long time ago, but the prospect of her not letting him talk to Azel was keeping him in the bed, resting, like she had ordained. That, however, didn't mean he couldn't ruffle a few feathers, though it looked like Yamcha- the little twit- had already done so.

"Because I know you well enough to know I have to keep an eye on you so you won't get up and wonder around," Bulma replied, finding the notebook on the new Gravity simulator she was working on.

"I'm not going to get up. You don't have to watch me like a little child."

"How do I know you'll do what you say Vegeta? I don't. I rather be safe than sorry."

"I will stay in bed, rest, and recover." Vegeta stated.

He needed her to trust him. It was ridiculous for her to think that he was that helpless. He didn't want her hovering over him all the time, it was just revolting to think that she was treating him like she would a child that would not listen. One thing Vegeta was not was a child.

"Promise?" Bulma looked over a him with a hopeful look.

She needed to go get more work, take a shower, and get some rest, but didn't like the idea of him getting up when he was so weakened by his pneumonia.

"…I promise…" Vegeta managed out, looking a little upset at having to promise such a thing to a blue haired harpy.

Bulma smiled. If she had only learned one thing about Vegeta, it was that the man made no promises or vows at all. It would mean that he would be held by his honor to fulfill it. Azel was the same way. She never promised unless she meant it. It was probably a Saiyan thing.

"Alright. I am going to be gone for a while, so go back to sleep and I will check on you later." Bulma said with a pleased look, "I'm holding you to that promise, Prince Vegeta, on your honor as a noble Saiyan."

Vegeta only grunted at her comment, doing nothing more afterwards then close his eyes, trying to will himself back to sleep since he was now bound by honor.

Well at least the weakling was gone.

* * *

"Vegeta! Hold still!" Bulma growled as she once again tried to hold the man down.

"I refuse to let you use that thing on me! I am fine!" Vegeta hissed, pulling away from her as to dodge the object that she was trying to use on him.

"It's a thermometer! It tells me your temperature!" Bulma shot back, "If you don't let me at least put in your ear, I will stick it up your butt to get a reading!"

Vegeta's look of absolute horror was too much for even Bulma to take without a string of giggles.

"You're lying," he said, freezing long enough for Bulma to take the opportunity.

"Nope, it goes in your mouth, in your ear, under your arm, or up your butt, though I think someone might have lost one down there a long time ago and that's what makes you so cranky." She said, shoving the thermometer in his ear, holding it in as he flinched.

It only took a moment before she pulled it away and looked at the reading, "Still too high for you. But your fever has dropped. Okay, I'm done torturing you, you big baby."

She was just glad it wasn't the old fashion mercury thermometer, it would have take much longer to get a reading. It was amazing how technology helped in everyday life.

"I am _not_ a baby whatsoever, I just don't like the idea of you using your stupid gadgets on me. Who knows what they do!" Vegeta grumbled as he pushed her off the bed, not pleased on how she had predicted it and gingerly landed on her feet.

Vegeta had slept the rest of the day yesterday and had only woken up a matter of minutes ago. Bulma had wanted to give him a quick check up, of which he refused on the spot, and had fought him every step of the way.

She knew he was being gentle with her, but it still didn't mean that 'gentle' was enough to not hurt a bit. It wouldn't leave bruises, but it still made her ache.

"I'm trying to help, Vegeta." Bulma pouted, "If I wanted to torture you or hurt you, I would do it by other means."

"Whatever," he sniffed, crossing his arms and resting against his bed's backboard again.

He wasn't sleepy at all. He had slept for three days, waking only long enough for a short conversation and meals. If anything he felt restless. He wanted to get up badly and train, but as long as he was ill, he had to remain.

"Not sleepy?" Bulma asked as she began to dig around the medical kit her father had left specifically for taking care of Vegeta.

"No." He bit out, glancing at her with an annoyed look.

"Oh…"

Crap. That meant she would have to change to catheter with him awake. That was going to be a moment of pure hell, especially since she knew he probably would want it off.

Her parents were gone. No way in hell was she taking the catheter off for him. He was just going to have to deal with it. She sighed heavily as she grabbed a replacement bag and snapped on a pair of gloves.

Vegeta was already eyeing her warily as she approached.

Hoping he wouldn't ask, Bulma pulled up a chair and pulled the covers away. She halted when she felt resistance and noticed Vegeta holding onto the sheets.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, a sharp glare thrown at her.

"I need to change your drainage bag. Trust me, you'll want it changed." Bulma said calmly, trying to avoid the obvious hissy fit that was to come.

Vegeta let go of the sheets slowly, obviously having no clue to what she had meant since he never really been awake long enough to notice the thing. Bulma quickly snapped her hands over her ears as the drainage bag came into Vegeta's view.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!" He yelped, his face furiously red from either embarrassment or surprise.

He had tried his lungs too soon and found himself coughing as Bulma quickly swapped the bags, capping the full one so she could get rid of it. Kami, she knew this was coming, but her ears still were ringing. She pulled the covers over his lap just as he was getting his coughing under control.

"What do you think it is, Vegeta? You've been mostly unconscious, we couldn't just let you wet your bed- though it probably would have been funny. We hooked you up to a catheter so we didn't have to worry about it."

"Unhook me!" Vegeta demanded, "I will not have you… you…" He flushed ever so slightly at the thought- Bulma tried very hard not to laugh or smile at him-, "changing anything. Take it off."

"I won't." Bulma said as she crossed her arms and shook her head.

"Why not!"

"Because you'd have to pull your pants down in order for me to unhook it from your-"

"You can't be serious!" Vegeta yelped, interrupting her with his bewildered remark.

"Where else did you thing we could hook it up to in order to retrieve your urine?"

Right about there, Vegeta felt like if he hadn't been a warrior of a mighty race, he would have died of embarrassment. His face was bright red as he scowled at his lap, where his sheets and blankets were bunching up.

"Okay, I get it," Bulma sighed, "I'll tell you how to take it off, just chill out."

She quickly explained the processes as she shooed him into his bathroom. He had been eerily quiet, but then again, he wasn't use to such strange underdeveloped medical technology. He came out eventually when his face was no longer the heavy red, only flushed with a fever, and handed her the contraption before lying back down in his bed and throwing the covers over himself.

Bulma mused at how mad he was at her as she properly discarded the catheter. She moved towards his bed, giving him a couple pats to reassure him, before leaving the room to work.

* * *

Bulma had glanced up at the clock, wiping the sweat and grease out of her face as she backed away to look at her work. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but it still frizzed out because of the perm. She needed a change before the end of the week, her hair style was more of a hindrance than anything now that she was inventing again.

"What are you making, woman?"

Bulma let out a large shriek as she spun around readying the monkey wrench to be thrown when she realized who it was.

"What's the big idea!" Bulma yelled smacking his arm with her free hand, "You nearly gave me a heart attack, sneaking up on me like that!"

"Not my fault that you don't pay attention."

"I pay enough attention," she sniffed, then paused, "Wait a minute! You're not suppose to be up! Go get back into bed!"

"Don't get excited woman, I was merely curious to know where my dinner is." Vegeta said, crossing his arms and shuffling a bit.

That was when Bulma noticed that his hair was damp and his sleep ware had been changed.

"How long have you been up! Vegeta! You promised you would rest!" Bulma yelled throwing her hands up in frustration to his clear disobedience.

"I know what I said woman," Vegeta growled.

"Then why are you out of bed?"

"Why is there no food?"

"Because my mom isn't here!" Bulma yelled, "Now march up those stairs mister and get back into bed! You shouldn't be up!"

Vegeta didn't move. He looked against the idea. He shifted his weight again and looked at her agitatedly.

"What will you have me do? Sleep more? I have been trying for the last three hours." Vegeta growled.

If still had his tail, he would have been swishing it rather agitatedly.

Bulma was about to let out another long winded lecture on him being up, when his words finally made sense to her. He was bored. He had been lying there for three hours with nothing to do and he had finally been bored enough to come search her out.

"If I find you some things to do, will you stay in bed?"

"Make it worth my while." Vegeta commanded as he turned back around towards his room, "And get me something to eat, Onna."

Bulma smiled weakly as she watched him leave the room. She could notice the usual power in his stride had disappeared and had been replaced by a sluggish movement that was still just as graceful. Vegeta was still weakened by his ailment, but he was recovering quicker then she had thought possible.

He would probably be back in full health by the end of the week.

_But even then_, Bulma mused,_ He had failed to keep himself in health. It might happen again if no one pays it any attention._

She didn't like the prospect of Vegeta dying. It pulled at her heart the wrong way. She quickly turned around and wrapped up her blueprints and notebooks, leaving the room she was currently tampering with. She was trying to make a new, stronger GR and had decided that if there was any major improvement needed, it was the need for space.

But for now, Vegeta was not to know of the room just yet. Though he had just come into the new section that would be his new GR, he didn't know that's what she had been building. If he learned of it too soon, he would demand it before she could get it fully functioning.

Bulma pulled away from her musings, trying to figure out something that Vegeta might like as a form of entertainment. She knew for a fact that he was not fond of the TV. He had blown it up in anger during his first stay with them, cursing it for all it was worth. She couldn't see him enjoying video games either, probably say it was a waste of time and energy. It wouldn't do him to get his adrenaline up anyways, so she would have to stick with less adrenal stimulating things.

She opened her game closet that her mother had made for guests to use and decided on a few games that he could play, including chess, go, and shogi. She also had a few dice games and card games that she filled the basket her mother stored at the bottom of the closet for those times when multiple games were needed.

Heck, she even threw in a couple of number games, including her dad's untouched sudoku book that he hadn't gotten around to. She paused when she reached the library.

Did Vegeta know how to read?

She knew he could work the gravity room, but so could Goku. It was made idiot proof. She decided to bring a couple books up on historical events and tactical plans during wars. He might find them slightly interesting. If he couldn't read, she would teach him. It would give them both something to do and would allow him to further his adaptation to this planet.

He would hate her for thinking he was staying, but she knew there was no other place in the galaxy that would fit his desires. Azel had stayed too. There must have been something that was alluring about this planet to make her stay, so maybe that same thing that had allured Azel so much would keep Vegeta here as well.

_What am I thinking? Vegeta staying? _Bulma thought to herself, but shrugged it off, _I guess it wouldn't be terrible. I don't think I could think of Vegeta not being here._

She could think of her past when he had not been, but… it seemed almost dull… She shrugged again, paying no mind to her attachment to her grumpy house guest. He was like a bear: temperamental, possessive, powerful, loyal. She couldn't help but giggle thinking about such a silly thing.

_What's next? I think him more as a teddy bear?_

That one had her laughing. She quickly retrieved some food that her mother had left for them, heated up enough to feed the full-blooded Saiya-jin and headed up to his room with the cart full of food and games.

Slowly, Bulma entered his room, peaking in to see if he was awake.

Apparently he was more tired than he thought. He was dozing again, but his sleep seemed light. The tiniest sound made him jump, crack an eye open, scanning the room before he closed his eye and go back to his light sleep.

Scratch that thing about him being a bear, he was more like a oversized, feral tiger.

"Are you just going to stand there all day or are you going to come in and give me my food?" Vegeta asked in a thick voice, a testimony to the fact that he had indeed fallen asleep.

"Oh… eh… sorry," Bulma said, feeling embarrassed about standing there, "I just didn't want to wake you up since you were sleeping."

"I'm not sleeping," he argued, "just waiting for you to show up with my food."

_He was so sleeping, otherwise he wouldn't make a big deal of it,_ Bulma thought as she kept her face straight and walked calmly in with the cart.

"I figured you didn't like the television," Bulma started, hearing a snort from him as he propped himself up, "So I brought you a bunch of games. I can teach you how to play them and I also brought some books. You can read, right?"

"What else would I have been doing those blasted 130 days I was waiting for Kakkarott? Make friends?"

"So you _can_ read?"

"For the most part. It would be foolish to live here without understanding the language and how to decipher your letters. Only an idiot would refrain from learning something so vital when stuck on a planet."

"Did you learn all the different languages?" Bulma asked, surprised at how astute Vegeta really was.

"Of course," Vegeta said as he rolled his eyes, "I do not like being unable to communicate. I learned all your human forms of writing and languages that go with each culture. It is stupid not to learn."

Bulma stared at him in utter shock. He understood all the languages that were present on Earth!? That was a feat in and of itself. True, over the years there had become less with the world unifying but still, it was quite a handsome number of languages.

_Then again, he had been raised to purge planets, he was bound to learn how to pick up languages so he could communicate their coming death._

"Who taught you to do that?" Bulma asked, thinking of her theory as she waited.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes as he watched her carefully, grabbing a plate from the cart without even looking away from her blue eyes. It seemed he was debating to tell her, but wasn't quite sure.

"My mother." He finally released.

"Really?" Bulma asked, her theory shot down.

"Yes," Vegeta allowed, eating his food as he continued, "Unlike what Frieza thought of us Saiya-jins, we were smarter than we let on. My mother enjoyed breaking apart languages of a world if divided like this one is and then finding the root that connected them all to each other. It was like a game to her. She taught me since it was only obvious that I would need that vital skill in my arsenal if I was to be the next king."

"Oh," Bulma breathed, looking at him with a new light, "Do you like puzzles as well?"

"What is with you and your sudden curiosity of me?" Vegeta growled, switching plates so he could continue eating.

"I don't know anything about you," Bulma shrugged, "What's the harm of learning something about you? I mean, come on, don't you feel lonely?"

"I don't get lonely, Onna," Vegeta shot at her.

Only he knew that he was lying. He was extremely lonely.

"Bored then," Bulma allowed, "You get bored. If I knew a little more about you, then I could help you not be so bored. Plus if you don't like puzzles, then you won't like what I brought you as entertainment."

She smiled as she brought out the Sudoku book, waving it a bit, noticing how his eyes followed the book in curiosity.

"I like puzzles," He allowed, "I enjoy games."

"Strategy games?"

He smirked approvingly.

"Card games?"

"Card games?"

"Yeah! Like poker, it is mostly about luck, bluffing, and reading your opponent."

He gave her a crooked grin.

"Now that sounds like a fun game."

Bulma was getting excited. She had never found anyone other than Azel that loved playing these games with her. Yamcha had played them for a while, but he wasn't good at them. With her genius brain, she always trumped him in everything they played. Card games were usually boring because he was such an easy person to read. She tested her luck as she decided to try one last game that she could play for hours.

"Probability games? As in dice games?"

He nodded.

Vegeta was actually excited. He had fought verbally with this woman before and she could hold her own against him. It was never fun arguing with Nappa or Radditz because of their inferior minds that didn't allow them to understand that he was baiting them. It was almost humorous, here a blue haired minx could battle him word for word and she was so delicate that he could easily snap her in half he was not cautious while Radditz and Nappa, two Saiyans, could not even find the balls to refute anything he said. They were cowards compared to this woman.

If she was as good with these games as she was with solving equations and building and designing state of the art technology, then she would be a worthy challenger that he had not had since his fifth year of life when his mother had been taken from him.

"Okay then! After you finish eating, I'll play you a game of your choice!" She said, smiling happily at the prospect of a worthy opponent.

"Fine," Vegeta snapped, eating as he went, "But take a shower first, woman, your filth is distracting."

"Sure thing Princy-kun," Bulma teased as she got up and practically began to skip out of the room, "Just prepared for utter defeat when I get back."

Vegeta watched her leave, staring at where she had exited from yelling out at her, "Woman! You will refrain from such stupid mutilations of my title!"

"Whatever you say, Princy-kun!" Was heard down the hall along with manacle laughter.

Vegeta growled.

He had given her ammunition.

Great.

Just freaking great.

Now she might never shut up about it.


	4. Chapter 4

Wow! I am honored to have so many reviews! I am glad that people are enjoying the story.

Okay, here is the thing about Azel. She is not a main character, but she is important. She is the woman who is filled with wisdom and experience. An outside source for both of them.

I know I haven't mentioned that he has been coughing or shivering much, but he has a fever and is sick. I suspect that you already knows that he coughs and shivers. I don't have to mention it all the time.

Well enjoy! I am off to watch the Magic School Bus. Wow, good times with such a good oldie!

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 4

_Code of Honor of a Saiyan  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: Yeah... If I did, I would redo the live-action movie.... or just not have one**

* * *

"I win!" Bulma cheered as she showed him her hand, "You lose!"

"You won out of sheer luck," Vegeta shot back as he rounded up the cards, "You will not be so fortunate again."

"Nope! I won fair and square!" Bulma chanted in a sing-song voice, "Someone is a sore loser!"

Vegeta grumbled under his breath as he handed her the cards to shuffle. He hadn't attempted to be dealer yet, but he was keenly watching Bulma as she shuffled the cards like a pro.

They had been playing cards for the last two hours. Bulma had shown him several games, but he currently was enjoying five-card poker. So that's what they were sticking with.

Bulma had just received the cards and was about to start shuffling when Vegeta noticed it. He swiftly grabbed her right hand and pulled it closer to inspect, ignoring her indignant comments.

"Vegeta what are you-"

"How did you get this?" Vegeta demanded, looking at the deep purple and indigo ring around her wrist.

"It's nothing," she said, pulling as best as she could to grab her hand, "I'm clumsy, that's all."

"There is nothing clumsy about this," he growled as he pulled up her sleeve up higher to reveal more bruises blossoming.

Bulma wrestled his strong but gentle grip as she tried to pull away, "It's nothing!"

"How did you get these?" Vegeta growled, a dark glow in his eyes as he looked at her. He was PO'ed,

"I am a mechanic as much as I am a scientist or engineer. I build things Vegeta! I hurt myself all the time! LET GO!"

"I have been here for a while, Woman, I haven't seen you ever get bruised like this when building your contraptions. Stop lying."

"It's none of your business!"

"It is my business if I am the one who put these on you!" Vegeta shot back, noticing her eyes widen at what he said. "Do you think me stupid?"

"No… I just…" Bulma looked away, "I know you didn't mean to."

Vegeta pulled her closer as he began to inspect her. She tried to fight him off, but he was too stubborn. He pulled at her shirt, being careful not to remove it, but pulling it up or to the side enough to see her bruises. He even checked the other arm.

"It is nothing." Bulma said again, "I know you didn't mean it! You were unconscious! Vegeta! Let go!"

"It is not nothing, woman," Vegeta growled, letting her up as he stood himself.

"Vegeta! Get back in bed!" Bulma commanded as she walked towards him.

"Relax woman, I will be back in the blasted bed before long. However, I will remind you that I am not an invalid." Vegeta snapped as he went to a dresser drawer, withdrawing something from within, before heading back.

He grabbed her as he was coming back, picking her up by wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her up by her hip.

"Vegeta! What are-" Bulma was cut off when he sat down at the edge of his bed, pulling her into his lap.

"Shut up for once in your life," Vegeta growled.

Bulma was about to snap back at him for telling her to shut up, but her words died in her throat when he began to rub salve on her bruised wrist. She watched with curiosity as he pulled up her sleeve, administering the salve to every bruise on her arm before moving to the others that adorned her torso. The only thing that gave away that he was in a foul mood was the hiss of air when he came across the bigger of the bruises.

Once he was finished, he recapped the his container of salve and lightly pushed her off to put it back into the top drawer of his dresser.

Bulma looked again at the wrist that he had administered it to first, gasping softly at the fading bruise.

"How did- why did… Why did you do that?" Bulma asked, clearly confused at his actions.

Never before had he ever done something like this before for anyone.

"It goes against Saiya-jin conduct to harm a woman out of combat or missions. We had females that were exceptional fighters, but as a rule of honor, we did not harm them without it being a friendly spar." Vegeta explained, sitting back down in his bed and pulling up his covers, shivering a bit from a sudden chill.

"I didn't know…" Bulma said looking back down at her wrist.

So that was why he always left when he got angry. Why he never raised a hand against her. It was against his nature to harm women outside of combat. She was actually really impressed by his self-control. She knew him to have a temper and even when it flared, he never took it out against her, even when she was the cause. Not even Yamcha was that controlled. She knew because he had hit her once or twice when she had pushed him too far. The only person she knew who would never harm her on purpose was Goku, and even then, when he was younger, she had suffered large injuries from playing with him.

"Of course not, you don't know anything about the Saiyan culture. Even though my race is gone, I refuse to harm females outside of purging missions and sparring matches, intentional or not." With that he gave her a hard glare for a moment before grabbing the cards and holding them out to her, "I am tired, put this away and then leave."

Bulma looked up from her wrist, which no longer had any bruise whatsoever on it, and smiled as she took the cards and put them in their container before putting it back into the basket.

"I will leave this stuff here just incase you wake up and decide you are bored again," Bulma said as she neared the bed, "I'll be back later with some food, okay?"

"Whatever, just go." Vegeta barked, shifting back down to go back to sleep.

"Yes, your Majesty," Bulma teased before swiftly placing a kiss on his forehead, "Thank you by the way."

She swiftly dashed out of the room, leaving the gapping prince speechless.

He didn't know exactly what she had done, but from what he could tell, that was a earth sign of affection. It was startling that she would even do something like that to him… but it felt…

Nice.

Vegeta smirked to himself, thinking up ways to blackmail her with it if she ever decided to blab about him becoming ill. His eyes began to droop as he stared at the door before he closed them. Sleep was not hard to find.

* * *

_"Azel! What are you doing?" Bulma yelled as she watched her mentor pin the little boy._

_"He was hurting you!" Azel snarled as she glared down at the boy._

_"No, no," Bulma yelped as she gently laid her hands on her mentor, "He's just playing with me. He meant no harm!"_

_"Ouch! What are you doing! You're hurting me!" Goku yelped as he squirmed under Azel's strong grip._

_"No," Azel hissed, "He must learn that he is stronger then you. He could have killed you, playing with you as he did. Bulma, I know what is good for you and I know what is not. Little one, do not attempt to play with Bulma like that until you learn restrain. Understand?"_

_She loosened her grip on the little boy, her face pulling back into its calm expression. She watched as the boy nodded before helping him up._

_"I am sorry I was hard on you, little one, but you have more strength than you know," She said as she stooped to pick him up._

_"I really didn't mean to hurt Bulma, I was only playing with her." Goku told her, both seemingly to have forgotten Bulma's presence for the moment._

_"Yes, but she is not trained to fight. Her place in this world is as a young woman, ingenious and amazing in many fields, but of battle. She is breakable by your touch if you are not wary of your strength. It is not right to hurt her, intentional or not." Azel said, cradling the boy for a moment._

_"Okay, I will train till I can play with Bulma and not hurt her!" Goku promised, leaping out of the older woman's hold, "I got to go anyways! I promised to train with Master Roshi, but I wanted to see Bulma one more time before I did! Bye Bulma! Sorry about hurting you!"_

_"It's okay Goku," Bulma smiled, "I know you didn't mean to. Go on. I'll see you when you get back okay? Then we'll play!"_

_Azel and Bulma watched him fly off on his flying nimbus before the older woman turned her attention to the sixteen year old._

_"How was your trip?" She asked, pulling at the arm that Goku had wounded to inspect._

_"It was great!" Bulma said with a nod, "I met all sorts of people! In fact I found a boyfriend! He's currently scoping out the city with Oolong and Puar, but he'll be back soon."_

_"A boyfriend," Azel rolled her eyes, "Did you really waste a wish on such a thing."_

_She pulled out a container with a salve in it and began to apply it to the already blossoming bruise as Bulma told her about her adventures. After she was sure there were no other bruises, she ushered the teenager back into the garden patio so they could sit and enjoy the sun._

_"Then Goku turned into this giant monkey thing!"_

_"Oozaru." Azel corrected without missing a beat._

_"What?" Bulma asked, not sure she had heard her mentor speak._

_"My people called it the Oozaru. The monkey-ape form that is like that of a werewolf legend of modern society. A legend that I grew up with all my life. But I thought that Oozaru humans had tails." Azel said, staring at the sky that Goku had taken off in with a puzzled look._

_"Oh, Goku had a tail," Bulma said as she waved her hand lightly, "But Yamcha, my boyfriend, cut it off."_

_"I see," Azel nodded, sipping on some ice tea that had been left out for them._

_"Hey, Az," Bulma said as she looked at the arm that once had a huge bruise on, "That stuff you used. What was it?"_

_"A healing salve that my people could make. It doesn't heal burns or close open wounds, but it can internally repair things like broken blood vessels and torn muscles. Not much, but it works for when one pushes themselves too much."_

_"That sounds amazing! Could you make more? I bet you could make a killing selling this stuff to the masses!"_

_"No, child," Azel said, shaking her head, "This is not something that should be recreated for such purposes. It is a secret of my people. Plus… the plant it was made out of is now extinct. It is no longer able to be reproduced." She paused for a second before looking Bulma straight in the eyes, "Bulma, remember that money is not everything. Riches will fade, beauty is only skin deep, and power weakens with time. Use what you have to help others. The legacy you leave behind will speak volumes about you when you are gone."_

_"Yes Az," Bulma nodded, "I will remember that."_

_"Always remember that, for this old fool." Azel whispered as she stared lovingly at her, taking her hand in hers and swung it gently, "Someone needs to learn from my people's mistakes."_

And you're the only one.

* * *

Bulma groaned as she opened her eyes and slowly pushed herself up off her stomach, looking around groggily. Her room was dark, the blinds turned down and leaving the room in a dim light.

She had dreamed about Azel again.

It was normal so close to the day she died. For some reason, her mind kicked into overdrive, remembering every aspect of the woman that it felt almost as if she was still alive. That was what made it so hard. Because she wasn't alive despite what her mind made her believe.

She raked a hand through her hair as she sighed, holding her upper body with one hand as she untangled her now wavy locks. She had gone into the salon the other day while Vegeta was sleeping and fixed her previous problem with her hair. Now she could easily pull it into a pony tail without having to fight her hair every step of the way.

She got up eventually and took her shower, enjoying the feeling of the hot water on her skin and the soothing smell of the body wash as she cleansed herself. She didn't take a long shower, feeling too restless to stand in one spot for long and soon was heading downstairs, readying some breakfast for herself and Vegeta.

It had been a couple days since he had healed her bruises with the salve. It was funny how it had become so clear about Azel's mysterious behavior. Oozaru, she had called that form. She could turn into one too.

It also made sense why she was so wary of Goku. Hurting females was against their culture and even though he didn't have his tail at the time, Az still had registered her as being in harm's way.

It was funny how so many things that made Azel enigmatic all made sense when at last the truth about her race came to light. Bulma wondered slightly how many Saiyan traits she had accidently acquired from the female Saiya-jin.

Bulma cursed quietly when she opened the fridge and noticed the large supply of premade food that usually was inside was gone. She must have finished heating up the last of it the night before. Her mother wasn't due back for another three days.

She cursed again as she brought the raw materials out of the fridge and began to pull out the pots, pans, and other needed materials.

Just what she needed, something to waste her time with, cooking. She rolled her eyes as she grumbled angrily. Her mother never miscalculated. She had done this on purpose and Bulma knew it.

She hated cooking, letting her mother be the one to slave over the stove to make food while she enjoyed the rewards of her mother's labor. She usually was busy doing something else with Azel to cook, but living with Azel had meant learning to cook.

Bulma quickly made pancake batter and scrambled eggs, enough to fill the large gullet of the Saiya-jin upstairs along with her own appetite. She placed them in the cart, groaning at the thought of having to clean more dishes then before because she had to _make_ the food.

Cursing another blue streak she headed to Vegeta's room, preparing herself for the battle of the wills that was going to take place. She left the breakfast at the door, taking only a small tray with a small plastic cup of pills, a glass of water, and a new electric thermometer that she had recently had to purchase on account of the last one being crushed.

Vegeta was awake, staring at her as she came in. It looked like he had just showered since he was standing, and slowly buttoning one of his sleep shirts. It was kind of funny, she had half expected him to sleep without a shirt at night when he had first come, but apparently, he did not think it proper. Perhaps it was something he had grown accustom to, since he usually didn't walk around shirtless unless he was in the GR working up a sweat. Even then when he powered the machine down to let her in, he put a shirt on and waited impatiently for her to finish.

Modesty must have been something vital to his survival. She had seen him without a shirt and many women and men alike would have jumped his bones if they had seen all those muscles rippling when he moved.

_Like a tiger's muscles when it moves. Raw power and sheer strength that could rip a person in half easily_. She thought.

"Morning 'Geta" Bulma chimed, pulling up a fake cheerful smile to lower his guard.

"Don't call me that woman," Vegeta growled lowly as he finished buttoning up his shirt, turning his full attention on her, "Don't tell me that you're going to try _that_ again."

"But Princy-kun, how will you get better if you don't take your medicine? It's the thing that is slowly cleansing your lungs from the icky virus." Bulma said in a sickly sweet tone as she held out the little thing of pills, "If you take your medicine, you'll get better faster and then you won't have to worry about taking more medicine in the long run."

"Woman," Vegeta growled out, "Do not call me that ridiculous name."

"Take your medicine and I'll consider it… Princy-kun."

"Hmph, if only to get you to stop that calling me that ridiculous name," Vegeta grunted, snatching the cup and tossing the contents in his mouth, grabbing the water to help swallow them.

"That's wonderful Veggie-kun!" Bulma cheered, enjoying how ticked she could make him look as he tried not to shatter the glass in his hand.

He knew if he called her on this name she would never drop it.

"Now hold still and let me take your temperature." Bulma said, quickly snatching the thermometer and quickly trying to get it in his ear.

He moved out of the way, grunting as he glared at her. He didn't like the thermometer. It was stupid.

"Aw, come on," Bulma said exasperated, "Don't make this a long fight Vegeta! I have breakfast ready!"

"Then let's have breakfast."

"Not until you hold still so I take your temp. Honestly Vegeta, it's only in your ear for a moment!"

"No," Vegeta said as he set his jaw and stood to full height, his usual relaxed muscles tense and ready to spring into action.

"Your mouth then! It doesn't have to stay long, just long enough to get a reading! Spot being a baby," Bulma yelled at him as she moved towards him.

He moved backwards, dodging her again as he glared. He was not going to do it.

Bulma had been through this for at least two days, and as long as she kept pushing, he would eventually be cornered and she could finally take his temp. However, today's breakfast was made recently and Bulma didn't feel like heating up her breakfast. It just didn't taste the same.

"Please!" She begged, "The food will get cold!"

"Then you'll just reheat them," He huffed, "Not like leftovers are that great anyways. What difference will it make to reheat the crap."

"My mother's food is not crap!" Bulma yelled, backing him into the corner.

He noticed the walls and turned direction without even looking away from her, dodging her first strategy to getting that infernal device in his ear.

"It is when it's heated a second time."

"Well, if you don't hold still it will have to be heated a second time," Bulma shot back.

"What? Is your mother back already?

"No!"

That made Vegeta pause. He could smell the food. It did smell slightly different then the usual reheated food, it had that just cooked scent to it, causing him to linger a moment too long.

Bulma had used the moment to her advantage, grabbing hold to Vegeta around his neck with one arm and wrapping her legs around his waist while shoving the thermometer into his mouth so she didn't have to hear the indignant yells for her to let go of his person.

"Ha!" Bulma said triumphantly as she smirked up at his stunned face, "And you thought you could get away!"

He growled as he reared his head back, trying to pull away from the thermometer that she was holding in his mouth, but she made sure it stayed in for the needed amount of time before pulling it out.

She looked at the temperature, still latched onto him as she calculated the numbers.

"Congratulations, Vegeta, your fever is gone." Bulma said with a smug smile, "See? Was that so bad? It takes five seconds, you big baby, and now we know that your fever's gone. Now all we have to do is wait for your lungs to clear up, then you can go back to training in your GR."

Vegeta grabbed her waist, gently prying her off.

"Will you get off of me, Onna?" He growled as he pulled her away and set her down, "I do not like having you on my person. Do not do that again or else I will save you for last to slaughter, letting you watch as I kill all your people and friends before I end your miserable life."

"Sure, Geta," Bulma said, patting his face gently, "If you kill me off, who will keep you from getting bored? Come on, let's get our breakfast before its cold."

"I mean it Woman."

He mental cursed her for being so intelligent. She had figured it out. She was his only source of entertainment since she was the only one who could keep up with him mentally. While physically she was nothing to compared to him, mentally she was more then his equal. She could outwit him hands down and that was what was attracting about her. Her looks-

He blinked as he noticed the wavy long blue hair that hung in the messy ponytail. She had changed her hair. It looked nice. Not like that crow's nest she had not even a day ago. He couldn't help but reach out and slide his hand in the silky locks, gently unknotting it as knots appeared in the path of his fingers.

She shivered for a second before turning her head and smiling at him deviously, "Like my new hairdo?"

"It's better then that other style. It looked like you had killed and animal and had put it on your head." Vegeta said offhandedly, not missing a beat.

Bulma growled lightly at him, pretending to be displeased when she was actually happy he had noticed.

"Well, go sit down, I'll bring your breakfast. Hopefully it is still hot, with how long it took you to settle down and let me take you stupid temperature, I wouldn't be surprised if it has grown cold."

To their luck, the food was still relatively hot. They enjoyed the meal over a game of chess. Leaving the plates once they had finished on the cart and continued to play till they hit a stalemate. Neither of them had said much, too involved in the game, but both had been enjoying the battle of the wits. Bulma glanced up at the clock after they had concluded the game and noticed it was past noon.

"Great." She muttered, "I have to go work for a bit."

She needed to get the Gravity Room downstairs done before Vegeta's health fully returned.

"You," she looked at Vegeta with a keen look, "You don't have a fever anymore, so you can get up and walk around for a bit- walking does _not_ include training. Stay out of my work zone. I know you like bugging me, but I need to work or how else am I going to pay the bills you make? I don't work, I don't get paid, and you don't get to stay. Go explore the rest of the house. We have a huge library, I bet you could find something in there that will spark your interest. Just stay. Out. Of. My. Construction site."

"Wouldn't want to go in there anyways," Vegeta grumbled, "I would have to put up with my ears bleeding from the angry shrieks you make. Just go."

"Alright 'Geta," Bulma said, turning her glare into a smile, "Behave."

With that she was out the door, leaving Vegeta grumbling as he got up. She had left the cart. No doubt thinking that he would do the dishes or at least have the decency to bring them down the stairs for her. No. That wasn't in his nature, though he did leave them outside his door. He didn't want them in his domain. His room was not her trash site, despite how many games he was allowing her to leave in there for the time being.

He quickly did some stretches- since that was in no way training- before continuing on. It was nice to stretch out his muscles, allowing the stiffness to vanish. He continued on with his day, decided to see if this library was as impressive as Bulma had insinuated it was.

It was strange. He had never fully explored the place, not thinking that he was staying long, so he only learned the routes he needed to get him where he wanted. He mentally berated himself again for the sheer stupidity of himself. Nappa had always reminded him to know his surroundings when Vegeta was growing up under Frieza's care. Back then it was obvious, Frieza was there, ready to take advantage of any hint of weakness. But Bulma's family took no advantage over him, besides that occasion time or two Mrs. Briefs asked him to open a jar…

He wandered through the halls, memorizing the different rooms that were left open. It seemed that the private rooms were left closed while the doors welcoming guests were wide open. It took him about fifteen minutes to find the library, pausing at the large double doors that held the room. It was at least two floors, stretching as long as this certain wing of the mansion allowed. Books upon books stacked up everywhere and anywhere, waiting for someone to read them.

Vegeta managed to overcome his amusement enough to enter the room and began to slowly glance over the titles of the books.

Even though he was one who preferred to fight, he knew the power of knowledge. He use to study hours upon hours with his mother when she was still around. He couldn't train too much back then because he was just gaining endurance, so he would spend most of his time learning. His mother's face had blurred in the years, he could no longer remember her face or what she looked like other then she had the most glorious smile and loved to laugh.

Nothing like the other Saiya-jins that Vegeta had known. But then again, he didn't know many other than his servants, guards, and the two idiots that he traveled with under Frieza. Kakarrott had bumped his head when he was little.

Perhaps that was the way Saiya-jins normally were if not trained to be killers?

Who knew. Vegeta for one did not want to be as ignorantly blissful and optimistic as Goku. There was something wrong with him that Vegeta just couldn't put a finger on, but there was something definitely off about the Saiya-jin…

Other then growing up thinking he was a human.

His eyes paused at a strange book with a large binding labeled with a number. The number intrigued him since there were many following the number only increasing by one digit. He pulled it out and looked at the front.

_'Memories' _was written in elegant script along with a nice design to stretch across the front. Vegeta blinked as he opened it up, realizing that humans took pictures of moments in time and recorded them in photo albums.

Apparently, to his luck, he had opened the one with Bulma as a newborn. He smirked evilly as he sat where he had stood, flipping through the book to look at the naked baby pictures that decorated the photo book. He flipped through each page, memorizing where to find some of the more… _precious_… photos that would be wonderful as blackmail.

Bulma had actually been rather cute as a baby. Her hair looked soft and fluffy and her baby fat gave her an innocent look. Like an angel born without wings.

He scowled at himself for thinking such a thing, shutting the book and putting it away. He was getting soft if he thought such things. He moved his hand, hovering over the other albums before plucking one out that was during her sixth year. The first page was of Bulma sitting in the lap of a horridly burned woman, laughing as both smiled at the camera.

He didn't know who she was, but most of the pictures were of her and Bulma. Sometimes even of Bulma's dame with the woman as they cooked or doing other activities. Bulma however was usually always in the picture with the woman. As the pictures progressed, the woman's girth grew bigger, but still well hidden in clothing. It was interesting to see such changes until finally there was a picture of the raven haired woman with the burns down her face holding a small baby that was crying while lying in a bed.

He continued going through the years, watching as Bulma and the little baby girl grew up. Dark tan skin and golden eyes with long pointed ears and soft velvet looking black hair dressed the appearance of the little girl as she slowly became bigger with each passing picture. The burned woman, Bulma, and the little girl seemed to be the stars of the photo albums with the blonde woman and Dr. making occasional appearances.

However, shortly after he got to the fifth book, the pictures of the little girl stopped. Bulma and the scarred woman looked a little sad, not smiling as widely as before, or look as happy. Vegeta pondered this for a moment before grabbing the last book and pulled out a picture of all three of them in the kitchen cooking.

He held onto the picture, putting the albums away, before looking through the rest of the selection, picking out several books that seemed interesting before heading back to his room. It was surprising how long he had been in there. He looked at the picture again, staring at the ten year old Bulma and the little four year old that smiled so sweetly into the camera. He couldn't understand why he felt so intrigued.

He had only been back in his room, starting on one of the books, for half an hour before Bulma came in with their next meal. She found him sitting on his couch, content with the book that he had found.

"Hey!" She said with a smile, "Did you find the library?"

Vegeta nodded, looking at the number in the book at the bottom before closing it.

"Find anything that interested you?" She asked, sitting next to him.

"Yes," he said, pulling out the picture that he had taken, "Who are they?"

Bulma took the picture from him gently, as if it held great value to her, her eyes dimming as she looked at the little girl before looking at the burned woman. She sighed heavily as she handed the picture back.

"Found the photo albums, did we?" She asked, not sounding too mad, "Well to answer your question, the little girl is Venus. Named after a mythological goddess known for her absolute beauty. It fit her."

She paused to look at the picture again, tears welling up in her eyes, "She didn't live long enough to see her fifth birthday. She died in her sleep. She was fine when we had put her to bed… but… she never woke up. It broke her mother's heart."

"Who was her mother?" Vegeta asked, looking at the innocent little girl that didn't live long enough to see the evils of the world or experience the joys of the world either.

"The woman in the picture," Bulma said as she looked at the burned woman with adoration in her eyes, "That is her mother. That is Azel."


	5. Chapter 5

Hurray~ It is hump day!

Boy... that sounds so wrong. I mean, it is Wednesday here in the land of Oz- or where ever this is. Today is the day that means I only have about four more classes after today till the weekend!!!! (College and its class times rock) So here is an update since I am feeling pumped. I have a pretty good amount of reviewers, your input really makes the story!

Love to hear from all of you guys out there. It makes me excited. So I hope to hear from you all!!

By the way, you want a good laugh? Look up the name puns.

Here's a few to get you smiling:

Burter = Butter  
Ginyu = Milk  
Guldo = Yogurt  
Jeise = Cheese  
Ricoome = Cream

That's the Ginyu force for ya... or should I call them the Milk Force....*snickers to herself* Oh boy, better stop typing before I sound like King Kai and all his bad puns.

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 5

_Words of the Wise  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vegeta or Bulma... or DBZ... If I did... *smiles darkly***

* * *

_'That was her mother. That is Azel.'_

The words echoed through Vegeta's mind as he stared at the picture. This woman, this horridly burned woman with the blind eye and scars that decorated the right half of her body, she was Azel. He looked back at the child, utterly confused about the point of her ears and golden stare that she had. He could tell now that she wasn't even remotely human at all. The child was no doubt a demi-Saiyan, but she was by no means a demi-Human.

"The child."

"Well, I always figured that Az was lying when she said it was a mutation," Bulma sighed as she gently caressed the little girl picture, "Azel had came to us pregnant. My father took her in, gave her a job, and gave her all she needed to raise the child. In the beginning, she was my bodyguard."

"How the hell could that woman protect you in her condition?"

"Well, Mr. I-am-an-all-powerful-Saiyan-warrior, you forget that her opponents were only humans. She might have not stood a chance against _you_, but she was more the adequate in protecting me." Bulma said as she swatted at his arm playfully, "Anyways, back on subject, I once asked her who the baby's father was. She didn't tell me right away, promising to tell me when I was older, but I found out after she died. She had been raped, constantly. The baby was just an outcome of it."

"Then why didn't she kill the brat if it was just a reminder of how she had been humiliated?" Vegeta asked, not understand why someone would let the child of their offender live.

Bulma smiled a bit as she looked at the child, "When Azel was still pregnant, she had complications since she had burn scars that wouldn't stretch well, but she continued even when the doctors had told her it would be in her benefit to stop. She scoffed at them, laughing at their stupidity, then caressed her stomach and smiled. She told them that the baby was an outcome of an event where her body was literally rejecting everything. If that little baby could withstand her body's natural defense of purging everything that should not be there out her body, then the baby had earned its right to live."

Bulma paused for a moment, thinking back on all those times with Azel and Venus, smiling as her eyes watered, "She never regretted her decision. Venus was her mother's angel of love. She was sweet and gentle and very, very smart for a little girl. She comforted her mother and I think made her life even more livable than what we could do for her…"

Vegeta watched as Bulma's emotions went from happy to sad to happy while being sad. He couldn't understand it! He lifted a finger to her face, catching a tear that threatened to fall from her eyes and studied it. Bulma had not been lost on the action. She stopped talking and observed him as he studied the tear.

"Why do you cry?"

"Because I miss them. I miss having the two around. I miss my friends that I loved so very much."

"Love? I have come across the word in your language several times. There is no word that relates to in Saiya-jin."

"There isn't? Well… I know Azel knew what love was… she never said the word much either, but I know she knew what it felt like. It is something that makes you feel… wonderful, I guess. Love is hard to describe. But you know it when you feel it because it is so powerful that it can move you to do great things." Bulma said, smiling as she looked at the picture.

Vegeta didn't reply, only grunting that he had heard her before looking at the picture of the last female who lived of his kind and her little girl. He had lots to think about now. This world was getting stranger the more he tried to understand it. They were heading to the graveyard in two days time to visit with the dead Saiyan. Vegeta could only hope that she could provide answers that he desperately needed.

* * *

Two days had gone by, but were not lost on Bulma. She was surprised when the usually brute of a prince began to calm in her presence. He still fought her tooth and nail when it came to getting his temperature taken. (She had decided it was for the best to keep checking just incase.) However, he didn't seem against her very presence anymore.

In fact, he seemed to enjoy her as much as she enjoyed him. They would banter back and forth, arguing over subjects that had caught their fancy and seeing who would win the battle of intellects. If it wasn't a battle of tongues, then they would be playing games, seeing who could outsmart the other. Bulma had never had so much fun. However, they did eventually have to separate so she could go back to her work and he would read and study, waiting for the time of when he could return to his training.

She almost felt sad that soon her time with him would go once he recovered enough to train again. She had felt a kinship with him. He was her equal when it came to mind games, pulling and guiding the conversation the way he wished it to go. A real silver tongue when he put forth the effort.

She hadn't heard from Yamcha, but she wasn't worried. She didn't even mind. She was enjoying Vegeta's company.

"Well are you going to sit on your butt all day looking at yourself in the mirror or can we go?" Vegeta's voice called out, disturbing Bulma from her thoughts.

_He still talks as if I annoy him, but I know his game now,_ Bulma mused as she smiled at him in the mirror.

"Vegeta, I am quite sure that you would prefer to be seen with someone who actually cares about how well they look rather then someone who could care less. It would be bad for your princely image if I did not look my best as well." Bulma shot back, narrowing her eyes slyly.

"Yes, well I guess I cannot find fault with that, but you looked adequate almost an hour ago, get up so we may leave now." Vegeta huffed, leaving the entrance of the door to wait for her downstairs.

Bulma smiled as she gracefully got up and grabbed a jacket so she wouldn't become chilled in the autumn air.

In his backwards way of things, Vegeta had told her that she was beautiful and didn't need to worry about it. Especially since she had just begun an hour ago on applying her makeup and doing her hair.

Vegeta was waiting for her. He had decided to wear dark loose jeans and a black long sleeve sweater with a v-neck. He even replaced his usual white boots for the black boots that she had purchased him. It had to have been the first time, other than when she had given him the pink shirt, that he had worn anything human, other than the training outfits. He looked nice to say the least.

"Wow," Bulma said with a smile, "You look nice. I'm surprised you are even wearing the clothes I bought you."

"It is out of respect for the dead, Woman," Vegeta countered, "I do not have the proper Saiyan garb to wear, but despite that, I would like to believe that this Saiya-jin might be more honored if I wore clothes from the culture she was adopted into."

"That she might," Bulma allowed, nodding her head, "She will be pleased, Vegeta. Do not worry about that. So, let's get going."

Bulma was about to use one of her capsules, but was stopped by Vegeta's hand.

"Just direct me, I will fly us there. It will be quicker than your little toys."

"Erm…okay," Bulma said, rather surprised at his willingness to help.

He really must want to meet with the female Saiya-jin.

He scooped her up, allowing her to rest easily in his arms. He found it surprising how light she was, only adding to how fragile he believed her to be. He took off, the two of them not saying much other than Bulma directing him to the old fortune teller's home. They landed not too long after taking off, but now they were entering the large property that Baba owned.

"Thanks for taking us," Bulma said with a smile, "That killed a whole lot of time it would have taken. It usually is about an hour or two drive from West City and we just made it here in five minutes! Definitely awesome."

"Whatever," Vegeta snorted, walking right next to her as she guided him to the cemetery they were to meet Baba in, "I am only interested in speaking with the Saiya-jin. That is all."

"Sure," Bulma said, "But don't push it okay? You are still sick so maybe we can get Baba to contact her from inside the building so we don't harm your progress."

"I am fine, woman. Worry about yourself."

"I'm not sick," Bulma pointed out, "And I'm wearing a jacket. Two things you aren't."

Vegeta growled under his breath as Bulma beamed at him triumphantly. She won this argument hands down.

Their conversation was interrupted by Baba as she floated towards them from her house.

"I see you came early, Bulma," Baba said before glancing at Vegeta, "and you brought someone with you."

"Yes Baba," Bulma said with a smile, "You said you'd try to get in contact with Azel so I could talk to her and Vegeta wanted to talk to Azel because it turns out that Azel was a Saiyan."

"Yes, I see," Baba said, looking one more time at Vegeta before her ball revolved around, "Well come on in, I thought today was a little to chilly to spend in front of a grave stone, so let us head inside and I'll make some tea."

"Alright Baba, thank you so much for doing this by the way," Bulma said, her and Vegeta following her as she headed inside.

"I would like to say it was no problem, but with Azel, there is always some complication to getting even an ounce of her time. She may have passed to the other world, but by no means has she let herself become less busy. If anything she's more occupied than when she worked with you and your father." Baba laughed, opening the door and hovering in.

As the door opened, Bulma was instantly hit with a warm wave of air that smelled deliciously like the cinnamon rolls Azel use to love to bake. In fact, it smelt like a bakery inside, which was strange since Baba didn't cook.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she entered the room that Baba had let them into. It was a kitchen filled with pastries and other goodies that Bulma use to eat for breakfast when Azel would cook. She could hear Vegeta inhale deeply, enjoying the scents of the baked goods that decorated the entire room.

"Have what you want. I know I won't be able to eat them all," Baba said before hovering over to a couch.

"Baba, did you make all this?" Bulma asked before catching up with the old woman, glancing down at the couch where Baba was staring.

She immediately gasped in shock and surprise, causing Vegeta to be on guard. He was still in near the counter inhaling the smells of the food.

There, curled slightly as her fists rested near her face in a calm expression of sleep, was Azel. She looked smaller, but at the same time, bigger and stronger. Her face was like that of a porcelain doll's with no trace of the hideous markings that once marred her beautiful complexion. A halo over her head and she was chewing on something that was connected to a silver chain. A single eye opened, revealing an onyx eye. The calm look was taken over by a small sleepy smile as Azel stretched herself out before propping her body up, taking the trinket from her mouth and shoved it into her pocket. Bulma didn't know how she knew that this was Azel- her looks completely different without the horrid burns- but she knew.

"Az!" Bulma cried as she jumped onto the woman still sitting on the couch.

Two unmarred hands wrapped around her, bringing her closer as Azel rested her head on top of Bulma's.

"Hello, child," She said in a velvet sounding voice that was complete different from her raspy voice that she had once had, "It has been a long time has it not?"

"Az! You're here!" Bulma said with a happy sob of joy, "Baba said she could contact you! She never said you'd be here! Az! You look amazing!"

She felt the happy vibrations of a chuckle come from the older woman's body as she was rocked back and forth for a moment. Azel let Bulma compose herself before they continued on.

"I made plenty of food, go and take what you want. I would love to catch up with you and hear about all your adventures." Azel purred as she looked Bulma in the eyes with a look of adoration that Bulma hadn't felt since the woman's passing.

"Sure," Bulma nodded, before remembering Vegeta standing near the food, probably freaking out about how she had acted, "But first, you have some explaining to do! Why the hell didn't you tell me you were an alien?"

Azel blinked once or twice before she rolled her eyes, getting up and hoisting Bulma up as she went, "And have you go gallivanting out in space to find others like me? No thank you. Bulma, I know you might be mad at me for doing it, but if I had told you, you might have made a wish on the dragon balls for the my people to be brought back."

"That would have ended poorly for the humans," Vegeta cut in, making himself known to the woman.

Azel's head snapped over in his direction, eyes widening as she called his face to recognition. Bulma took that time to introduce the Saiyan to her prince.

"Azel, this is Vegeta, Prince of all Saiyans, he is my family's current house guest. But I guess you already knew who he was, after all, you are a Saiyan as well."

Azel regained her barring quickly, pulling herself to full height, almost the same height as Vegeta but with one inch on his side without his hair sticking up as it did. It made Azel look shorter, but she was not. She released Bulma, quickly making her way over to Vegeta and began to circle him, appraising the prince as he stood on edge watching her as she moved gracefully around him.

"So, how did you figure out I was a Saiyan, child? I am sure none of my kin knew I had crashed here after escape," Azel said, looking over at Bulma before returning to access Vegeta.

"My father told me. Since we had a Saiyan as a houseguest, the topic was brought up. He was surprised you never told me." Bulma said crossing her arms as she watched from her spot, "Vegeta heard about you and wanted to meet you since Baba was going to get in contact with you."

Azel nodded as she stopped circling the prince, looking up at his face and giving him a calculated stare.

_"I see time has been well to you as well as cruel to you, my prince,_" she spoke in Saiya-jin, _"Who can I thank for the death of my enemies? For if you are here, no doubt you assisted in putting Frieza and his men in HFIL."_

_"Kakkarrot was the one who stole my revenge with Frieza, but I was the one who murdered the rest of his men_."Vegeta replied, not too happy at the memory.

_"Then I must thank you for sending my offender to HFIL. Evil as Frieza may have been, Zarbon was the man I had a vendetta against."_

_"So…"_ Vegeta began, remembering the characteristics of the little girl in the photograph,_ "Zarbon was the one who raped you?"_

_"Yes. Frieza thought us as horrid monkeys, but Zarbon, unfortunately, could appreciate the beauty of the right female company. Unfortunately I was that. It took me pouring poison down my body to turn him away. It left me crippled though, but I do not mind now. I have all of eternity to make him suffer so."_

Vegeta nodded his understanding. Watching as the Saiyan woman gently began to touch his ribs, near his still tender lungs. He let out a growl hoping that she would think that she had just passed a boundary.

"How long have you been ill?" She asked, looking over to Bulma who would give her a straight answer. "And don't tell me he isn't because I can tell, young lady, so spill it now."

"Just a week. He's getting better though, his fever has broken but his lungs aren't entirely better yet."

Vegeta growled at her, but Azel continued on with her conversation, making it so Bulma had to ignore him.

"Pneumonia?"

"Yes, ma'am," Bulma replied.

"It would be best to let him rest another week before doing anything to strenuous. Put him on a higher dosage of the medicine you have him on and make sure you go get an appointment with my old doctor. She knew what I was and kept it quiet."

She touched him again, making him flinch away from her touch. Bulma realized that he was refraining from putting up a fuss or throwing a fit about it less he ruin his chances with conferring with her more.

It was actually amazing to watch the two of them talk in their native language. It wasn't a bunch of grunts and snarls like she would have believed at one point, but an elegant roll of the tongue that made the Namekian language like a walk in the park. It was clear, but quickly spoken.

"You have a lot of signs of fatigue showing. How often do you rest and take a break from working?"

"None. I do not have time to. I need to become a Super Saiyan." Vegeta said in a controlled voice, trying not to let his anger show.

"Super Saiyan? That's what it's call now? How lame." Azel said calmly before placing her ear to his chest, "Inhale. I want to hear how severe your lungs are infected."

Vegeta had tried to pull away from the woman when she had made the contact, but she wasn't like Bulma who he could easily shove off. Her grip was stronger than even Goku's and it was keeping him in place. He scowled as he took a deep breath, giving in to what she had asked, if only to get her away from him.

"Up his medicine and get him a check up," Azel said as she pulled away, "Other than that, he's good. The lungs should be cleansed of the virus at the end of next week."

"Okay," Bulma said as she nodded.

She pretended she didn't see how uncomfortable Vegeta was getting with Azel. He never did good with excessive touching. He was getting use to her, but a stranger of his own kind might unnerve him since Azel was by far stronger than a regular human.

"Old one, you said something about the Super Saiyan?"

"First off, give me that Old One crap one more time and we'll see how long you last with only one lung. Secondly, it was never called Super Saiyan. I know we aren't the greatest at using the real names of anything, but that doesn't mean you get to call it something so lame. It is Awakened One. I have no doubt that the King called it something so asinine as 'Super Saiyan'. He had a bad habit doing that when he couldn't remember the real names of things." Azel lectured as she finished inspecting Vegeta.

Once she was sure he was healthy other than the virus, she left him be, moving over to be with Bulma once more.

"So, please tell me of how you met my prince. I bet the story has to do something with the young Saiyan child that you befriended when you were sixteen. And please tell me that you have at least quit dating that idiot (what was his name?) Yamchop."

"Yamcha," Bulma corrected with a roll of her eyes.

"An idiot is an idiot no matter the name he goes by."

"Yamcha is not an idiot. He maybe a little slow at times, but he is smart enough to get what he wants from most women." Bulma said, defending her Ex against her pseudo-mother.

"The boy almost went into cardiac arrest every time you did more than just hold his hand." Azel said with a deadpan look, "How pathetic is that? I mean really? Now stop dodging the question so I can get on with my death."

"No, I broke up with him. Repeatedly."

"Good." Azel nodded, "It would not do to have someone so pathetic and unfaithful as a chosen significant other."

Bulma sighed heavily as she looked from Azel to the bemused Vegeta. Now that Azel wasn't picking on him, she had gone back to poking at Bulma's life. However, Bulma didn't really mind. She was happy to have the raven head lecture her again. It was wonderful to hear her talk again.

"Well let's not waste my day chit chatting about something so unimportant as your current relationship with that man. I want to know what has happened in my absence!"

She turned over to look at Vegeta,_ "Do not think I do not know why you came. I will answer all the questions you have later. First and foremost I want to catch up with my student. She has suffered long in my absence and I need to console her before the day is done."_

Vegeta nodded, walking over to the couch, after grabbing a plateful of food, and sat down. It was going to be a long story.

* * *

Azel ran her fingers through the silky blue hair as she smiled at Bulma's sleeping form that rested on her lap.

_"I am sorry that took so long, my prince, but I needed to make sure all was well with her. I fear my death was too great for her to handle at times."_ Azel said as she looked up at Vegeta who was sitting on a chair across the way, _"Now, please, ask to your heart's content. I can only guess at what you are in query about."_

Vegeta looked at her for a moment longer before looking at Bulma, _"I am curious to how you had lived so long among humans without becoming mad with loneliness. I have only been here less than a year and I feel as though I am ready to throw myself off one of their man made structures if it would kill me."_

_"Ah. You killed off your last Saiyan companion, didn't you?"_ Azel said, recalling the beginning of the long story Bulma had just finished telling her,_ "Well, when I first got here I was pregnant with Venus. I lasted a while with the hope of using her as that mental connection, but I grew lonely and in need of kinship in my time of great need. That was when I met the Briefs. They took me in, gave me a job and a home, and expected nothing more than for me to protect their little girl from the dangers of the world. At first I was against the idea, but slowly I succumbed to my need of kinship and opened a mental link with Bunny and Trunks."_

_"The woman's Sire and Dame?"_ Vegeta asked, rather surprised,_ "Why?"_

_"Because, I was lonely. I trusted them and owed them more than just my own life. They accepted the link and it wasn't as hard anymore. I eventually opened a link with Bulma, though she never knew. I was always careful with her. She loves adventure and the unpredictable. It was what made me so worried. However, I think it poorly affected her when I passed on. She didn't know about the link, so she was not expecting something inside her to die when I did. If anything, she is as lonely as you are."_ Azel told him, looking at the blue haired minx again as she stroked her hair lovingly again.

"I see." Vegeta nodded, looking at Bulma as well, "the Woman did seem to get more offensive when you were dragged into the subject. She said she loved you very much and missed you being there. She confuses me."

"Is it because you do not know what love is or is it because you can not understand the reason of why she misses me?"

"Everything about her. She is a complete enigma to me."

_"Bulma is like that. You will have to accept that if you are to make a connection with her."_

_"Why do you assume I would make a mental bond with her? She is nothing more than a weak human."_

_"Weak she may be, my prince, but just a human she is not. She has witnessed things that no ordinary human has seen. It is like she had opened a Pandora's box and now has no way of closing it. She cannot go back to a normal life, so her list of potential friends grows smaller and her world is limited to those who know what she does. From what Baba has told me, she seems to have withdrawn herself a little too much. She needs a companion, Vegeta, just like you need one."_ Azel explained to him with a stern look in her eyes, _"I made a mistake when I left her in the dark, even though I did it to protect her. Her bond with me wounded her. Please make this right. Fill the hole I created. I will promise you that you will not regret having her conscious brush against yours. I have already trained her how to keep her thoughts to herself- even if she doesn't know it. Consider it at least."_

Vegeta snorted as he looked away in mock anger and disgust.

"I will consider it. On to other matters."

"Of course my prince. But one last word about it: ask her before you do anything of the sort. You will need her trust and awareness if you two are to help each other." Azel warned, then lowered her head in submission, "Please ask my anything you are confused about. I have found that this culture is difficult to adapt to unless you have a very open mind about it. Saiya-jins aren't usually so open minded about such things, unfortunately, so it must be hard for you."

"And it was easy for you?" He sneered, glaring at her for suggesting he was close minded.

"I am a strange woman. Even when I was on Vegeta-sei I was looked upon as a total enigma. I was open to knew ideas, willing to change and adapt to the ways and ideas of other cultures. Did you know I was the first female Saiya-jin that allowed a full pregnancy in over ten generations? I believed it would make the child better."

"Did it?"

Azel mused the answer for a moment before looking at him with cryptic eyes, "I believe it did. But that is not the point. I was willing to turn from Saiya-jin ways to embrace a new idea and eventually a new culture entirely. I mingled and mixed the two for my own sanity, but I could walk around the humans without them thinking me an alien. Just a horribly disfigured woman. The Saiya-jin clothes are the first to go, but I have always thought that humans had more style and flare when it came out their garments."

"I see," Vegeta said, relaxing himself back into the state he had been in beforehand, _"tell me about this human affection that they perform by placing their lips onto another's flesh."_

Azel looked at him with a blank stare for a moment before she was able to understand what he meant, "You mean a kiss?"

"Like I would know what a kiss is. That is why I am asking you."

"Did it look something like this?" She bent down and touched her lips to Bulma's forehead, giving her a light peck before pulling herself back to her previous position, "Like that?"

"Yes," Vegeta nodded, "So she kissed me?"

Azel looked a little shocked, trying hard to think why Bulma would be placing her affections on the Saiyan prince.

"Where did she kiss you?" Azel asked, looking over to him in wonder.

"Forehead and temple. Two different occasions. The first time was when she was trying to convince me to stay in bed and eat, she was using an old custom of ours to try to sway me to her reasoning, then afterwards placed a kiss on my temple."

"Ah," Azel nodded, understanding coming into her eyes, "I did that to her when she was being stubborn as a child. The kiss was put there as a sign of her culture's affection. You see, depending on how you are kissed depends on the level of affection. You often can tell the sincerity of a kiss, but in some cultures of Earth it is a way to greet a friend or family member. Bulma was letting you know she was happy with your choice by giving you a reward. Men often like it here when women kiss them, but then again, a heartfelt kiss allows a woman to know how much a man is interested in them."

"You asked me where she kissed me. Are there certain areas that mean more?"

"Yes. Kissing on the lips is something only family or significant others perform. Chaste kisses for family and a huge different verity for significant others."

"I see." Vegeta said, his eyes clouding over with thought.

"Anything else you would like to ask about? My time is short here on Earth and I was hoping to use only seven of my hours today. Please, my prince, contimplate later, ask me all you need to know. Bulma will not wake for a while."

Vegeta nodded, beginning his questioning once more as the blue haired woman slept on, enjoying the presence of her beloved mentor.

* * *

"Azel," Baba said, looking at the raven haired woman as she entered the room, "It is time for me to send you back."

"Seven hours already?" Azel sighed, looking at her with a pout, "I was just about to win!"

Bulma had woken up shortly after Vegeta had finished conversing with Azel and the three of them found it amusing to occupy their time playing five-card poker. To both Bulma and Vegeta's displeasure, Azel was quite good at winning. Her poker face was unreadable and she usually had really good hands. Vegeta had accused her of cheating on several accounts, but couldn't seem to prove it at all.

The woman was crafty, that much Vegeta had discovered on his own. She smiled whenever she was able to get a rise out of either him or the woman. She would hum to herself happily before defeating them yet again. She had to have been cheating because no one could get that many good hands as she did.

"You've won enough," Baba said with a shake of her head, "So come along. I have to get you back to HFIL before Goz and Mez have heart attacks with all those ruffians running about."

"Oh right," Bulma said, setting down her cards, "Baba told me that King Yemma had given you a job in HFIL."

"Yep," Azel said with a bright smile and a dark giggle escape her throat, "I actually have a lot of fun down there. You should have seen it! They were all practically shoving me into Baba when she went down there to retrieve me. The 'fraidy cats."

"Hmph, they must be a bunch of weaklings if they are getting pushed around by one little female Saiyan." Vegeta sounded amused.

"Yeah, I guess," Azel said as she pulled the silver chain out of her pocket, revealing a familiar jewel on the center of the chain, "But then again, it matters not, as long as I get my fun."

"Hey…isn't that…" Bulma paled as she looked at the jewel.

"Zarbon's." Vegeta finished, looking quite shocked.

"Oh this? It's my little trinket I won in a game from him. We decided to see who could stay conscious longer when being punched in the face." Azel said with a nasty little smirk, "Shame the game didn't go past round 1. They are way too much fun down there!"

"Yes, and I have to return you to your fun. King Yemma was already complaining about how Frieza and King Kold are already trying to take the place over."

"Already? I would have given them another hour," Azel sighed, "Well… it wouldn't be fun if they did behave."

She swiftly turned about face to look at both Bulma and Vegeta whose mouths were wide open as they gawked at the female Saiyan.

"I have to go, but don't worry, I'll be back one day to visit again. It was wonderful to visit with the both of you. I hope you defeat Dr. Gero's androids. I'd love to have something new to kick around up there. Frieza's beginning to be a bore. Almost as bad as the heroes in Grand Kai's realm. I do not know why Venus even stays up there… it is terribly boring." She paused and shook her head at that thought, "Well, until our paths cross again."

"I need to leave, but feel free to leave when you are ready. See you later Bulma," Baba said before heading out.

With a quick wave, both her and Baba were long gone, flying the dead warrior home.

"It took us hours and hours to defeat Frieza, several attempts to kill Zarbon, and she knocks them around like they are her play things?" Vegeta managed out, looking at where the Saiyan had once stood, "Someone up there hates me."

"Someone up there must think this is funny," Bulma agreed, "But then again, she suffered a lot during her time on Earth. You said whatever doesn't kill a Saiyan makes them stronger… calculate how long she lived with burns and you'll get one massive backlash of power once she is healed."

Both stayed silent as they mused over the Saiyan female. So many things had been answered, but still, so many things came to question.

Vegeta had gotten his answers and now had to contemplate them while Bulma received her closure and now had to move on.

Things that were to come would be heavily impacted by her old mentor's visit.


	6. Chapter 6

It is Valentine's Weekend.

It also means amazing food at the cafeteria since we have scholarship students that they want to come here next year. It's sad. It's the best time of the year and I will be missing the food at the cafeteria. I am currently watching the Peanuts. Poor Charlie Brown. Do you realize that the shows are about just how much people abuse him? And Marcy and Peppermint Patty are the only two girls that like him and then... they drive him crazy! It is so sad. I hope he ended up with the little red-head girl.

Love to hear from all of you guys out there. It makes me excited. So I hope to hear from you all!!

By the way, you want another good laugh?

Here's a few to get you smiling:

Bardock = Dock (A Root Veggie)  
Broly = Broccoli  
Kakarot = Carrot  
Nappa = Type of Cabbage  
Panbukin = Pumpkin  
Paragus = Asparagus  
Raditz = Radish  
Seripa = Parsley  
Turles = Turnip  
Toma = Tomato  
Totepo = Potato  
Vegeta = Vegetable

That's the Vegetable group... sadly... most of those are Saiyans.

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 6

_King of Hearts: Trump That  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vegeta or Bulma... or DBZ... If I did... *cackles darkly***

* * *

Bulma sat down with a bowl of rice in her hands with different ingredients poured onto to flavor her meal. It was four days since she had seen her beloved mentor again. Her mother was back home and immediately began to cook again. Her father had conversed with her and agreed to set up an appointment for Vegeta at the end of the week.

However, since the return of her parents, Vegeta kept to himself again. She could tell he was lost in thought about whatever Azel had talked to him about, but he wouldn't tell her anything about his conversation. She had woken in the middle of it, but they had been speaking in Saiya-jin, so she could not understand. She had gone back to sleep after that, knowing that whatever it was about, Vegeta didn't want her to know.

Why else talk in a dead language?

She sighed as she took her chopsticks, testing her grip quickly, and began to eat her food. She was currently sitting in the new room she was designing, taking a little break from her hard work.

Her thoughts went back to Vegeta as she studied the room she was making for him.

He practically lived in the library now that he was forbidden to train, but she couldn't figure out what he was doing in there. She would bring him his medicine, which had been strengthened to Azel's suggestion, and took his temperature. He glared at her angrily as she did it, but didn't fight her tooth and nail as he had beforehand. He wanted to get back to what he had been doing and would not do it while she was there.

The meal was quickly finished off and Bulma set it aside, not very interested in taking it back just yet. Her mind reeled around the circuitry that she was currently putting together. It made life fade into the background and all her confused thoughts pushed into the back of her mind. This was how she got away from it all and right now, she just didn't want to think about why the Saiyan prince was getting all clammed up.

Her stomach notified her sometime later about being hungry, pulling her away from her mathematical equations and circuit boards. She glanced around quickly to notice that she was at the last circuit board. After this, all she had to do was finish programming the computer and test the bad boy out. Her heart felt a flutter of excitement when she thought of Vegeta's amazed expression.

Maybe this would lighten his mood.

Her stomach growled again, reminding her of its needs.

"Alright, I get it. I'm hungry. Now stop growling so loudly." Bulma talked to herself, leaving her tools on the floor and picking up her bowl and chopsticks.

She was surprised when she entered the kitchen to see Vegeta sitting at the table with no trace of her mother to be found.

"Okay, where's my mother?" Bulma asked as she looked around.

"Out to a banquette." Vegeta said with a huff, "She said that we could just order out."

Bulma groaned. They had been ordering out the last couple days before her mother had gotten home. She was sick of eating out.

"By all means, don't feel the need to keep your thoughts to yourself," Vegeta said with a sly smirk on his face.

"Oh, I won't," Bulma said, grinning playfully, "I will just yell it as loudly as I want to. But really, it's not like I don't see you getting all excited about the idea of ordering pizza again."

"I am not too fond of the idea of having pizza once again for the fifth time this week. Could you order something different or are you just that uncreative?"

"No need. I feel like eating some more native foods then western foods. Unfortunately, I don't like any of the eastern restaurants in West City. They are way too crowded and they take for ever to get take out." Bulma muttered as she headed towards the kitchen cabinets and began to pull out the needed materials she would need.

"What are you doing woman?" Vegeta questioned, his tone curious but annoyed.

"What does it look like? I'm pulling out the needed ingredients to make dinner with genius!" Bulma said, pulling out the rice cooker and setting it on the counter.

"You? Cook? The words should never be used in the same sentence, Onna."

"Laugh all you want, I'm hungry and I am making dinner. The amount that I make will be the undecided factor. Do you want to eat what I make or do you want to go order more pizzas?" Bulma paused, a smirk crossing her face as she looked at the debating Vegeta, "You know what? If you want to order pizza that is fine, but if you do end up wanting what I am cooking, you'll have to help me cook."

"You would ask a prince to lower himself to such a demeaning job?" Vegeta stared at her in disbelief before scoffing at the idea.

"Get off your high horse," Bulma yelled as she pulled out another pot, "Cooking is fun! It is all about the right measurements of different ingredients that blend together to create a new substance! It really is a lot of fun!"

"I don't cook, Onna." Vegeta deadpanned.

"Maybe you should learn. Pizza is nice once in a while, but there is nothing like a home cooked meal." Bulma stated, "Plus if I get some help then I can get more food ready." She paused for a second to let him debate it then added as if an after thought, "I won't even tell a soul that you helped me cook. Not even my mother or father."

There was a long pause, Bulma held her breath, hoping that the stubborn prince would bend to her will. Her answer came by the form of hands reaching higher than hers and grabbing the pot that she couldn't get.

"Tell no one. If I hear so much as a word about this from anyone I will rip out your tongue and enjoy watching you bleed to death in a slow agonizing death."

"Yes, your majesty," Bulma sing-songed, a grin stuck on her face while her heart jumped giddily.

Bulma showed him how to cook, taking a bunch of recipes from cookbooks and following the instructions to make the wanted item. He seemed intrigued by the whole process, probably never watching her mother cook before. He never wandered off like Yamcha did when he and Bulma had been in the middle of cooking.

Because of the sheer amount of food they were cooking, Vegeta was even able to attempt to make some of the plates himself with Bulma supervising. At one point, he had accidently splattered some of the batter on his hand. Bulma had noticed and teasingly took his hand, licking the batter off and enjoying the surprise and embarrassment on Vegeta's face. He didn't seem to find it as funny as she did, but he was able to reap his revenge by getting a similar response when she had splattered some on her face while cooking. He had taken the liberty of cleaning it off the same way she had with him. Then it was his turn to laugh at her expression as she stood stock still in pure shock and embarrassment.

Bulma couldn't help but join in with his laughter. It was pleasant to hear him laugh and his laugh was very contagious when he was being a sadistic jerk.

By the time the food was done, both seemed a little sad that it had ended. The kitchen looked like a mess, but Bulma always made huge messes when cooking. One of the reasons her mother cooked instead. She would just clean it later or sic one of her cleaning bots on it if she was short on time.

"Alright," Bulma said as she finished putting the last of the main course on a platter to be served, "That is the last of it!"

She placed it on the table and glanced over at Vegeta. He was staring at his chopsticks rather oddly.

"Serve yourself up what you want," Bulma said, taking her chopsticks and putting things on her plate.

"You eat with sticks?"

"Yeah. This is Japanese food, not western food. That means you eat with your chopsticks… Oh." Bulma said looking at him and then at his utensil, "This can't be your first time eating Japanese food, is it?"

"I do not know how to use these," Vegeta said, holding up the chopstick and giving her a guarded look.

"Oh, sorry Vegeta. I thought you might have picked it up while living with us. I didn't realize you didn't even know what chopsticks were." Bulma said, setting hers down and taking his from his hand.

She took his hand, bending his fingers and putting the chopsticks in the proper position before directing his hand the way it should go, "You hold them like that, and you move them like this."

She then released his hand, snatching up her own chopsticks and grabbing some of her rice from her bowl, "They work like this."

With that she put the rice into her mouth and chewed for a second, "Get it?"

He imitated what she had done, casting her a cocky smirk before continuing. Sayians from what Bulma had gathered, picked things up quickly. Whether it be a technique they've seen once or how to handle chopsticks, once they knew that it was possible, they could almost emulated it immediately.

Bulma concentrated on her food while Vegeta went to work clearing the rest of the table. He was a little slow at first, but as so as he mastered the concept of chopsticks, he used them like he had been using them for years. Bulma was impressed by how elegant he managed to keep himself even when eating food in mass amount in a matter of seconds. Unlike Goku, he was graceful and actually had manners.

"So, your majesty, what did you think of the food. You can't say it sucked because I know that is a lie. Plus you'd not only be insulting me, you'd be insulting yourself." Bulma stated, sticking out her tongue playfully.

"It was less stressful than having your mother do it." Vegeta said with a smug look, "It was adequate I suppose."

"Ha! You know it was great! Just say it!"

"Never," Vegeta said, smirking when Bulma pouted.

He paused for a moment, debating something within his mind before coming to a decision.

"Woman, what do you know of the Saiyan culture?"

That caught Bulma by surprise. She wasn't expecting him to continue on with their conversation, let alone something about him.

"Not much, just what I picked up from Azel and the basic instincts that Goku portrayed." Bulma said with a shrug, "Why?"

"Let me start off with something that is a basic known fact about Saiya-jins." Vegeta started, shifting in his seat to get comfortable, "Saiyans are a telepathic race of beings. We don't have a high levels of telepathy like some races do, but we can connect with other minds and converse with them. Now, unlike many other races, we use our telepathy to create packs. Back when our people where more nomadic across the lands of Vegeta-sei, the Saiyans traveled in packs. They had mental bonds with every pack member and constantly had the touch of another's mind in the back of their minds. Even when we united and started the monarchy, packs were made and bonds formed between squadrons. Even I had mental bonds with my family members and the loyalist of our guards."

He paused of a moment looking at Bulma, who was totally absorbed in what he had to say. Once he knew she was following along, he continued.

"However, Frieza destroyed Vegeta-sei. He had only kept a few Saiyans alive other than his trophy- me- so that I would not go mad from loneliness and die. I had Raddiz and Nappa's mind always brushing against mine until-"

"They died." Bulma finished, catching on to what he was explaining, "But how did you survive when on Namek or even afterwards?"

"I had been preoccupied by my ambitions," Vegeta explained, pausing for a second as he thought back to his time on Earth the first time, "The Namekians are a form of telepathic beings that were not as closed off as Saiyans. I could sense their consciousness brush against mine and at the time it was enough. Only recently have I begun to feel the effects of not being connected. That was one of the reasons I had to speak with the female."

"So you could ask her how she did it."

Vegeta nodded, continuing from where she had stopped, "She had bonded mentally with your Sire and Dame… and with you."

"Me? But I don't remember hearing anyone's thoughts in my head!"

"It is the touch of consciousness not the constant babble of thoughts, Onna. If the female wanted to, she could have talked to you through the bond, sending images or sounds through the connection, but she only wanted to feel your consciousness against hers. However, it backfired when she died."

"Because then I was use to feeling a consciousness in the back of my mind," Bulma concluded, "which made me feel very alone when she passed on."

"Yes. However, I do have a proposition for you," Vegeta said, pausing as he became at a loss of words. His pride keeping him from being able to ask her what he wanted.

Bulma knew, however, what he was implying. He wanted her to let him do the same thing Azel had done. Bond with him mentally so that he could feel her conscious brush up against his and make him feel not as lonely. But there was one thing that she did not understand.

"Why me? Why not someone else?"

"Because, you are the only one I trust." Vegeta said without even having to think about it. It was the truth.

Bulma stared at him wide eyed for a second before closing her eyes and nodding gently as a warm smile graced her lips, "Then I would be honored."

It was strange. He didn't even tell her that he was going to do it, but she could actually feel his consciousness brush up against hers rather harshly. She was about to say something, but suddenly as if there was a click, everything fell into place. His conscious pulled away and was like a hum of white noise in the back of her mind. She was surprised how familiar the feeling felt, but it was nice. She looked over at Vegeta to see that his eyes were closed as he concentrated on the link.

_Can you hear this?_ She heard his voice ask though he had not spoken a word. Vegeta opened his eyes, watching her as her eyes sparkled in excitement. He took it she could hear him.

_I suppose I will have to teach you how to send thoughts to my conscious._ He thought to her, making himself sound exasperated by the idea even though she could see the smug smirk on his face.

_No doubt you can sense my conscious in the back of your mind. Concentrate on that and think the words towards the consciousness. Same goes for projecting images into the others mind._

_Like this? Can you hear me? _Bulma thought, pushing the words towards his consciousness.

She could hear him laugh lightly in the back of her head, _unfortunately_, was the answer she received.

"The female was right, you are quite good at controlling your thoughts. It makes it easier since I won't have to teach you now."

"Oh, sorry for being such a pain in your side," Bulma said, rolling her eyes and pulling out her palm pilot and sending an order out to her bots, "Look. I have to finish up my project. I am _almost_ done and I would like to be finished by the time I have to take you to your appointment. So, go rest up and I'll see you bright and early."

She was about to leave, but she heard Vegeta grunt unhappily at what she had said.

"And what makes you think that I would subject myself to such an impractical waste of time?" He sneered, tensing up at the thought of going somewhere unfamiliar.

"Because the sooner you go get a check up, the sooner you'll be cleared for training," Bulma said, "I know you are feeling much better and are getting restless, so if you just go, you can go right back to training again-" She paused for a second before sending him a glance. "-within reason. No more training for three weeks straight. If you aren't out at meals or done by midnight- I'm cutting the power. We are not having a repeat of this."

"Fine," Vegeta sniffed, "I will not be foolish enough to repeat last times mistakes, but I still refuse to see what good going to a quack-"

"Doctor."

"-whatever! I don't see why I have to go to a _doctor_."

"Because," Bulma let out an exasperated sigh, "She is going to tell us how you are progressing in your health! Jeez, Vegeta! It's just a check-up! She'll be quick and professional about it. You have no medical record here on Earth and we just want to make sure everything is alright!"

"I won't go." Vegeta said, setting his jaw and narrowing his eyes.

Bulma could see that he wasn't about to go unless she managed to outsmart him. She quickly thought up something that could make him go, but drew up a blank. The only way he would go is if she defeated him at something, and she making him swear to give in to her will if she won.

Her eyes narrowed at that thought. Betting Vegeta would work. He was of high intelligence and would have the chance to seize victory though, but it was her only chance. What could she play that she could easily outwit him without him thinking that she was cheating?

Cards was out of the question. Plus, knowing him, he would cheat just so he didn't have to go. But then again…

"Let's play high and low," Bulma said, sitting at the table and looking him in the eye, "If you win, you don't have to go. You can just stay here and I will have to wait on you hand and foot for the rest of the week." She paused to let that sink in.

She could tell he liked that idea of her being his little slave for five more days.

"But," she continued, "If I win, not only will you go, you will do as your told for the whole day by me or by the doctor, answer any and all questions she asks, and behave better than even Gohan can! Like… Dende's amount of politeness and manners. Got it? Are you up for the challenge?"

He stared at her for a moment, torn. She had just openly challenged him. To a game of chance no less! It was a fifty-fifty chance that he would win and get her as his slave for _five_ days! But then again… if he lost… He shuddered at the thought. He stared at her with a scowl. Her eyes smoldered with the challenge making her look alluring. But even then he couldn't make up his mind. It was the little voice that came from the back of his head- _her_ voice that whispered the words that sealed his fate.

_What? Are you a chicken?_

"Deal. Loser must obey the terms."

"Promise?"

He knew she would obey. She was one of her word, but he knew that she knew that she was going to have to force him to promise- otherwise he might figure out a way to weasel out of it. But then again, there was no way he could lose to her.

"On my honor as the Prince of Saiyans," he agreed, nodding his head.

"Good!" Bulma beamed, her heart racing in her chest as she went over to the junk drawer they had in the kitchen and managed to find a stack of playing cards.

"Ace is ultimate high, two is ultimate low," She said, stating the rules as she shuffled the cards.

Vegeta let her shuffle since there was no way for her to cheat if he observed her carefully. With him, she would have no way of knowing if he had switched the cards.

"Cut the middle," she told him, holding out the cards.

He took half the cards and put them on the table while she place the rest right on top.

"Royalty first," she said, holding her breath and praying he got a low number.

He grabbed the first card from the deck and looked at it. Bulma wanted to let out a cry when he gave her a smug smile and showed her the king of hearts.

Her chances were almost next to none now. Four out of a fifty-one chance of her getting a higher number and a total chance of seven out of fifty-one of her drawing a king or a ace. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she took the card, peeking open one eye to see what she got. She could feel Vegeta's conscious in the back of her head radiating in smugness and confidence that she had failed.

She looked at the number, inhaling as she studied her card.

* * *

Bulma sighed. It was going to be a looooong day. Vegeta was sitting there at the kitchen table, looking like he was ready to throw the table out the window and have a temper tantrum.

If her day wasn't already going to be long and exasperating, she would have smiled at the fact that _she_ had beat the odds and out did him with an Ace of Spades. He lost. He had to go to the doctor's today.

"You didn't eat, right?" Bulma asked, going through the checklist of things she needed him to either do or not do to prepare for his appointment.

"No," he growled, biting his tongue and saying only what he had to.

The way he was glaring down at the table, she was surprised it didn't combust into flames.

"You are hydrated?"

"Yes."

"Did you drink something recently?"

"Yes."

"Good. Go get in the car," Bulma said, grabbing a coffee and her keys to the car.

She had un-capsulated it earlier and now all she had to do was get her brooding prince in the car. He got up, glaring the whole time at the ground as he made his way into the car. He was dressed in loose jeans and turtleneck sweater. She still thought human clothes looked nice on him, but today was not a day to mention that.

She needed to get him off to the doctor's before he decided his word and honor wasn't worth demeaning himself to the whims of a small blue haired woman with a fiery temper.

The trip was as quick as she could make it. She did finally see what the hell Yamcha had been talking about a month or so ago about that new mall. It was big, but she didn't think about it long. She concentrated on driving to Dr. Sonata's office and getting it over with as soon as possible.

The woman had become quite wealthy because of the fact that she was supported by Dr. Briefs himself. Due to keeping quiet about all things related to Azel, she had found herself with more money than she probably knew what to do with. Yet, Bulma remembered that the woman was a kind hearted woman who kept quiet only because she really cared about Azel's and Venus's well-being.

"Here we are," Bulma said, cutting the engine after parking, "Her practice is private, so you'll be the only patient there. There isn't any overlapping because she puts hours in between her clients, just in case. She will do everything while you're here so you don't have to worry about coming back to get results from anything."

"Whoop-de-freaking-doo," Vegeta muttered, getting out of the car and slamming the door as hard as he could without breaking it.

"Behave Vegeta! That was part of the deal." She reminded him as she got out and capsulated the car.

"I said I would behave, I said I would do would do as I was told, but there is no way that I will stand here with a _smile_ on my face while I am being forced to go somewhere I do not want to be, Onna. You won the bet, just be happy I am a man of my word." Vegeta growled at her, keeping hold of his temper the best he could.

"Fine," Bulma allowed, "Be upset all you want, but don't you dare lose your temper."

They entered the practice's greeting room to see the secretary at the desk, talking to one of the clients that their practice had.

"Could you hold please," the lady at the desk said in a professional tone, "Thank you."

She looked up at the two, giving them a bright smile as she greeted them, "Miss Briefs! It is wonderful to see you again. I can only assume that your companion is Mr. Vegeta?"

"Yes, this is Vegeta." Bulma confirmed, "Will Dr. Sonata be out soon to greet us?"

"Yes," the lady at the desk nodded, "she was just informed of your arrival and will be here within a few seconds. Have a nice day alright?"

"Yes, thank you," Bulma said smiling back before ushering Vegeta away from the desk.

The woman went back to her phone calls.

"Bulma, what a pleasant surprise to see you again." A voice rang out from the doorway connecting to the back.

There stood a woman who was at least six foot, her long red hair pulled back into a bun with green eyes. She was at least in her late forties, early fifties and was wearing wireless frame glasses on her face.

"Hello Dr. Sonata," Bulma greeted with a smile, "It hasn't been that long. You saw me at my last check up."

"Yes, but that was almost a year ago. I guess I should count myself lucky to see you twice in one year now-a-days." She turned her attention to Vegeta, smiling as she accessed him from there, "So this is Vegeta. Hm, all of you are quite insistent on staying fit, aren't you? Well, follow me Vegeta, let's get you started." She glanced at Bulma one last time. "It was nice to see you again, dear."

"You too Dr." Bulma said, sitting down on one of the chairs, pulling out a magazine.

Dr. Sonata motioned for him to follow her, but he remained where he was, arms crossed and staring at the doctor with discontent.

"Is something wrong, Vegeta?" Dr. Sonata asked when she realized that he wasn't following.

Bulma looked up puzzled as well, "Hey, go _with_ her. You promised."

"I will not go anywhere without the woman." Vegeta stated simply, casting his glare from Dr. Sonata to Bulma before resting it back on the doctor.

"You want Bulma to come along?" The doctor asked with a surprised tone, "Well, if you want her to, it is fine, but we will be going over things that you might want to keep private. I can always send her in after-"

"-No. She comes or I don't come at all." Vegeta stated.

Bulma gave a half-hearted smile as she stood. Well there went her quiet time while the doctor fussed over Vegeta. She gently took his arm, and tugged on it as she began to walk.

"Come on Vegeta, let's go." She said.

Vegeta allowed her to guide him to Dr. Sonata's inner section of her practice. The doctor was in the lead as she took them over her scale, calculating his weight and obtaining his height as well. Then, took him to the patient's room, telling him to sit on the examination bed.

Bulma sat in one of the chairs and flipped open her magazine.

Dr. Sonata then began to go over the basic information that she needed, getting his temperature, checking his blood pressure, and then checking his ears and throat. Once the preliminaries were out of the way, Dr. Sonata when over to her cupboard for the next needed item.

Bulma knew what part was coming up next and figured it was better that she had come.

"Alright, Vegeta," Dr. Sonata said, pulling out a plastic sealed cup and held it out for him to take, "I need you to fill this up."

He looked down at the cup, then back at her, "With what?"

"Why do you think I asked you to drink something this morning," Bulma supplied as she calmly turned the page of her magazine.

It only took Vegeta a moment to figure out what both of them were talking about.

"You can't be serious!" He yelled out as he looked at both of them with a bewildered look.

"Oh, no, I'm serious," Bulma said with a small triumphant smile, "You have to go do it."

"There is a bathroom at the end of the hall. It has instructions on how to do it properly," Dr. Sonata said, placing the cup in his hands.

"Go do it." Bulma added, "and read the instructions, unless you want to do it again because you didn't do it right the first time."

Vegeta grounded his teeth as he stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut as he made his way out.

"Sorry he's so defiant, Dr. Sonata," Bulma said with a weak smile, "The only way I got him here was by making a bet with him."

"Oh him?" Dr. Sonata said with a surprised look, "He's nothing compared to my other special case family. You're father really sends in some strange ones, but I don't mind. I find them all treasures at the end."

"My father sent someone else to you?" Bulma asked a little surprised.

"Yes, well seeing as I delivered Venus into the world, he thought it best I take care of the other Saiyan family in existence. I normally wouldn't be breaking the code of privacy, but I kind of have an appointment with them today and-"

Bulma could tell what the doctor was hinting at.

_We might want to be gone before Chichi shows up with whoever is unlucky enough to have the appointment… probably Goku. _She thought to herself, keeping that thought well guarded against the agitated conscious in the back of her head.

"Yeah, we shouldn't be that long. Are they coming here about his heart virus?"

"Yes. I doubt you want them to know about Vegeta's reason for being here?"

"No one can know why Vegeta was forced to come here," Bulma said making it very, very clear, "Especially that family."

"Issues?"

"You could say that. Vegeta has a strong sense of pride. Letting that guy find out will do nothing but make my day miserable." Bulma explained, "But enough about that. How's everything so far with Mr. Grumpy?"

"Vegeta is quiet heavy," Dr. Sonata said with a smile, "But that is understandable with Saiyans. Azel was heavy as well. Their bodies are built differently than ours. They have stronger bones, more muscles than humans, and the density of those muscles are even greater than ours. They can take quiet a hit and get up like it was nothing. So far, I can tell he is very physically fit, more so than any other Saiyan I have met."

"That's good." Bulma paused for a second, "Do you think he left?"

"No, he's not like Son-kun, is he?"

"No."

"Then he's just trying to compose himself. Azel took about twenty minutes before she came back because she never felt more humiliated in her life." Dr. Sonata said with a chuckle, "But then I gave her a patsy and… well… she never did fully compose herself before she left."


	7. Chapter 7

Single's awareness day is over!!!

.... Is it bad that I purchased at least five new books on Valentine's day? Let's do me a favor and update the more addicting fanfictions (Culture Shock please!) so I don't have to buy books to complete my addiction to reading.

So, I hope that all of you out there are excited for this. I do want to say that I may have tampered with the timeline just a little. I was kinda surprised when I learned that Vegeta had been 5 when Vegeta-sei was destroyed... 5 year olds do not know enough about their culture to hate other cultures- even with Nappa there. So I bumped up his age to 7, just so dear old dad had time to pound the entire culture within him in two years after mommy had been... gone.

So just as a heads up!

Love to hear from all of you guys out there. It makes me excited. So I hope to hear from you all!!

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 7

_Doctors are a Pain in the Tail  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ... there... I said it... WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT! *cries***

* * *

It took about ten minutes before Vegeta showed back up. He handed the cup to Dr. Sonata and stared at his feet while moving back to sitting on the examination table.

"Thank you Vegeta, I will get someone on that immediately," Dr. Sonata said, opening up a sliding metal frame at the side of the wall and placed it in there and closing it, "Now, I have some questions that I need you to answer. You're medical file is almost non-existent, so I need to fill in the blanks. Now, how old were you when Vegeta-sei was destroyed?"

"How is that relevant?" Vegeta growled as he glared at the doctor.

"Trust me, it is relevant." Was all she said.

"I was seven," Vegeta said with a huff.

"I see," she nodded, jotting down a number, "Well I can assume that you are about thirty-one years of age since Vegeta-sei was destroyed almost twenty-four years ago. Now do you remember the season or date of your birth?"

"No, but I was born in the cold season of Vegeta-sei."

"I see. Well, if Azel's time clock she set is correct, the cold season only lasted for a month of our time. You were likely born in December. Funny how that works out, isn't it? We'll just put that you were born on the first of December, alright Vegeta?"

"That's fine," Vegeta nodded.

He was impressed at how she went about these things. Using facts that she knew about his home world to figure out how old he was and around the time of his birth. He may never be able to know his real day of birth, but now he had a day to add yet another year to his age so he could calculate how old he was.

"Okay, here's where things start getting harder," She said, looking up from her notes, "Do you want Bulma to leave the room? Whatever you say to me will never be repeated to another soul. It is all confidential."

Vegeta paused for a moment, looking at the blue haired minx who had forced him into coming.

"She stays." He decided.

"Alright. Anytime you feel uncomfortable about answering the question in front of her, just tell her to leave." Dr. Sonata said, looking back down at her paperwork.

"_Nicely,_" Bulma added, "You will ask me to leave _nicely_."

"Fine." Vegeta snapped.

"Alright Vegeta, let's get started. Have you ever smoked?"

"You mean those terrible smelling things the woman's old man smokes? No."

"Have you ever used drugs outside of medical reasons?"

"No. It would have be stupid to dull my senses in my line of work."

"Have you been sexually active?"

"WHAT?!?"

"She's asking you if you go around and have sex with anything that moved during your lifespan," Bulma clarified, flipping the page and returning to her reading.

"NO!"

"Really?" Bulma asked, looking up with shock.

"Why the hell would you ask that?" Vegeta hissed, his face flushed with embarrassment.

"Well, it's rare for a guy your age," Bulma shrugged.

"Let me clarify that for both of you, Mr. Vegeta, Miss Briefs, " Dr. Sonata said as she jotted down her notes, "Unlike Saiyans, who mate for life and are celibate until they consummate with the life-mate, humans are usually not as… celibate. Bulma here was just surprised because of what she knows about humans. We should be creatures that take one mate per life, but our society has changed drastically over the last fifty years or so and it is not uncommon for humans to lose their virginity while in high school. Though last time I checked, Miss Briefs was still a virgin herself and should not poke fun at the Saiyan."

Vegeta looked horrified at the thought of mating with multiple women, but what was worse was the fact that the stench he usually smelt on the weakling finally made sense! He composed himself as best as he could before looking over to Bulma.

"You and that weakling are over, correct?" He clarified.

"Yes…" Bulma said warily, "Why?"

"Don't go back to him."

Bulma was about to ask what he had meant, but was interrupted by Dr. Sonata.

"Alright, well then, let us continue." She said, putting the file on the table, "I am going to test your reflexes, Vegeta. I am going to have to ask you to restrain the full effect if you can, but I need to test them out to make sure they are all functioning correctly."

The physical continued. Dr. Sonata tested out his reflexes, happy to see the self-control he had. Apparently either Azel or Goku or even Gohan had hit her on occasion because of lack of control.

She then went over the stethoscope and what is did, asking Vegeta to remove his shirt so she could hear his heart without it being muffled by the sweater. He seemed reluctant, but with a small reminder of who had lost the bet, he removed his shirt and let her touch him with the cold device, his skin involuntarily flinching at the cold metal.

"I'm sorry about that," Dr. Sonata said, as she listened to his heart beat, "It is usually cold on first contact."

Vegeta didn't answer, only following her commands of how she wanted him to breath as she moved the silver disk across his chest and down his back.

"It doesn't sound like his lungs are filled with fluid anymore," She said as she took the buds out of her ears, "And his heart is as strong as they get. Consider yourself lucky, Vegeta."

"Does this mean I can go back to training?" He asked, looking at her with a sharp stare.

"Yes," she said as she put the stethoscope away, "But don't go right back into a full training session, start out small and work you're way back up. I want to make sure that you don't still have some lingering effects and end up back in my office. Got it?"

"Yes." He grunted, crossing his arms and looking smugly at Bulma.

"She said not to go insane on the training, that means I am setting your speed for the first couple of sessions. You start when I let you and you end when I say." Bulma told him, still reading her magazine, never once looking up.

"Alright, let's not argue," Dr. Sonata interrupted before Vegeta could say anything, "Lie back onto the table, I just need to check a few more things."

"We are not finished yet, Woman," Vegeta told her, "We will finish this later."

"Looking forward to it," She deadpanned, trying hard to just concentrate on her magazine.

He laid back as he was told. Dr. Sonata gently pushed against his stomach, feeling for anything that should not have been there.

"Alright," she said motioning him to stand, "Stand up."

"Are we done?" Vegeta snapped as he pulled himself to a standing position.

"No, but I think now would be a good time for Bulma to leave." Dr. Sonata said as she eyed the woman.

"Way ahead of you," Bulma said as she swiftly rose to her feet and glided out of the room, but not before reminding Vegeta, "Remember your promise."

She had barely closed the door and leaned against the wall, not once looking away from her reading, when she heard him roar.

"You want me to _WHAT_?!?! No! I'm not!"

"You lost the bet, Vegeta," Bulma called out.

She heard him give a shout of exasperation before things quieted down. She waited there for a while, until there was a knock at the door to let her know she could return. It was about ten minutes before she was notified she could come back in.

She tried not to look amused at his apparent ruffled appearance. It was apparent that he felt extremely violated. His pants were on though and his turtleneck as well, his sleeve on the right side was rolled up though, probably getting ready for the next thing that needed to be preformed. Dr. Sonata was jotting down notes as Vegeta refused to make eye contact with any of them.

"Just let me draw some blood and get you vaccinated, then you'll be good to go," Dr. Sonata said finishing up her notes and pulling a few things from her drawers.

"Then we can go?" Vegeta asked, a blush still across his face as he stared at his lap.

"Yes, then you can go Vegeta. I take it you will not want to wait for the blood test results?" She asked, taking a rubber glove and tying it to his arm.

"No. I want to leave as soon as possible," he grumbled.

"I see. Don't worry, that was a one time thing, now I am going to draw some blood, it'll be just a prick, nothing too terrifying." She said as she cleaned the area.

"You talk as if I am that idiot Kakarrot who cowers at the sight of needles," Vegeta hissed.

"Who?"

"Goku." Bulma clarified.

"Oh," Dr. Sonata nodded, sticking the needle in, "Well, trust me, _he_ is hard to get to hold still for one of these. Azel was obstinate, but that was because she had her fill of pain and didn't like being pricked. It brought back to many foul memories."

"He comes here?"

She pulled the needle out, pushing a cotton swab against the puncture hole and tapped it.

"On occasions." She said, putting the little vial of his blood in the same metal contraption that she had put the urine sample in, "Though most of the time I have to stun the area his tail use to be to get him to hold still."

It was as if that reminded her of something. She quickly grabbed the prepared vaccine for him and turned to him.

"I am so sorry," she said as she reached him, "I almost forgot about your tail. I know you no longer have it, but no doubt there is a stub from where it was removed. Would you mind if I looked over it?"

She could tell he didn't want to, but being a stubborn woman who put up with Saiyans for years, she knew a few tricks of the trade.

"I bet I could tell you if it will grow back or not." She quickly injected the vaccine and rubbed the spot on her upper arm that she had injected it into before pulling his sleeve down for him.

By then he had made a decision.

"Fine, hurry it up," he huffed, standing up so she could get a good view of it.

"Do you want Bulma to leave?"

"No."

Bulma smiled at how obstinate Vegeta was to her leaving. She would never bring it up though, but it was nice to feel needed. She watched as Dr. Sonata gently pulled down the back of his jeans and held up his shirt a little to observe the spot.

Bulma was curious as well. She knew that his tail had been brutally cut, but she didn't know what it looked like now that it was a stub.

"It looks inflamed and infected," Dr. Sonata noted, touching it gently and getting a harsh flinch and hiss from the Saiyan.

It was true. The stub had given him vast amounts of pain if he sat wrong, brushed it against anything, or even concentrated on it too long. He had noticed that it was puffy and easily agitated, but humans didn't usually understand what his tail meant to him, so he suffered in silence. If he kept mind busy enough he was able to push the pain to the back of his mind, but never fully rid himself of it. It was one of the reasons he hated bed rest so much.

"Well?"

"It could grow back, but for now you need to get it treated. How was it cut off?"

"Sword of a cowardly samurai," Bulma said with a small giggle, "Never saw Yajirobe run faster in his life. He's scared to death of Vegeta after that."

"Him? That coward. And a lousy swordsman," Dr. Sonata grumbled as she went to her medical cabinet and loaded up a syringe with fluid.

"This is for the inflammation. If I give you this injection, I won't have to prescribe medicine instead. I will need to also give you one for the infection. Because I need to inject it into the inflamed area, which where your more sensitive nerve endings are… well I'll be blunt. It is going to hurt. Hell, you might pass out from the pain, but the quicker it goes back to normal, the larger chance you have of it growing back to full length."

"Alright," Vegeta allowed, taking in a deep breath and preparing himself for the pain.

"If you feel yourself passing out, can you please try to sit down against the examination table? You are too heavy for us to move on our own Vegeta." The red head said before moving back to his hind side.

"Fine." Vegeta snapped.

Frieza pulled on his tail when he was a child for the pure enjoyment of the whole thing. Countless times did his tail get the majority of his beatings, causing him immense pain. He had gotten over it eventually, training it to become numb when it was being attacked. But nothing had prepared him for this.

Getting the end of his tail stepped on was nothing compared to getting a needle right in the knot of his extremely sensitive nerves near the beginning of where is tail once was. The farther way it was from his spine, the less sensitive the nerves were… the closer… well… he would have gladly had Frieza stomp on his tail and shut the metal alloy door on it again then have this.

He couldn't help but let out of cry of agony as she swiftly jabbed in the needle and injected the anti-inflammatory. The last thing he saw before everything went black was Bulma's alarmed expression as she jumped out of her chair to get to his side.

…

…

…

"He'll be fine. Let's just be grateful he wasn't conscious for the second shot." A voice echoed in regions of his head.

_Vegeta? Come on, wake up! Vegeta!_ He heard Bulma's thoughts beg him.

"Wha-" He managed out, slowly pulling out of his stupor.

"See, he's waking up. I told him that he might pass out." Dr. Sonata's voice said, becoming clearer with each passing second.

"Thank goodness." He opened his eyes to see Bulma sigh in relief.

_You passed out from the pain._ She told him through the mental bond.

"Do you think you can stand up?" Bulma asked aloud as she touched his shoulder blade, "Vegeta?"

"Yes, Onna," he groaned, "I can stand up by myself."

He felt a wave of nausea run through his body, but he refused to let it show.

"Get him home, let him rest, and he'll be good by tomorrow morning," Dr. Sonata said to Bulma as she opened the door for the two of them, noticing how Vegeta was making his way to the exit.

He wanted out and he wanted out _now_.

"Yes Dr. Sonata," Bulma said with a nod, smiling at the woman for all she had done for Vegeta, "expect your paycheck in the mail."

"You and your father are absurd if you think that is what I care about. Go home, and if you can, get Vegeta to relax. He's probably feeling sick after I went for all those nerves. My suggestion is to draw him a nice hot bath, and if you can, get a masseuse to unwind him. You took classes, didn't you?" Dr. Sonata whispered to her quickly.

"Yes, but that was years ago when Azel was still alive. I haven't given anyone a massage after she died. I only took the class as a way to relieve her of some of her pain." Bulma whispered back.

"Well, I think that he needs something to relieve his tension. Just try your best. Even Saiyans have limitations and he's reaching his limit fatigue-wise."

"Alright," Bulma agreed, "I'll do what I can. Let me go catch the man before he flies home. Bye Doc!"

She ran out of the hall, following after the Saiyan male to make sure he didn't do anything stupid.

Dr. Sonata stood there for a minute before pulling a locket out of her pocket and stared at the picture of her first two patients. Azel was smiling mischievously in the first one, and in the other photo, there was a happy little girl with golden eyes.

"Azel, you sly vixen, you owe me for that." She whispered as she stared at the picture for a bit longer, "Your son is a handsome young man. I am honored I got to meet him. I just hope I'll be able to report grandchildren in the near future. Young ones now days just don't see what is in front of them, honestly."

With that she snapped the locket shut and prepared herself for her next patient. Now, where did she put the electric cattle prod?

* * *

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Bulma asked once she had safely gotten Vegeta in the car and was now driving back home.

"Fine," he grunted.

He might of said he was fine, but Bulma could tell by his pale complexion and the clouded expression that he was not 'fine'.

"Are you in any pain?" She continued, watching him more than watching the road.

"No." Vegeta grunted, "Stop with your silly questions, Woman."

"Can't think too clearly right now, huh?" She said turning her eyes back to the road, "It is okay Vegeta. I won't tell anyone about anything that happens between us. If you pass out from immense pain, don't expect me to go telling the next person I see. I'll take it to my grave. Just trust me. I need to know how you're feeling in order to help you."

There was a long pause. She could feel his conscious buzzing with confusion and confliction, but she stayed quiet. He had trusted her enough to make a mental bond with her- something only pack members did from his culture. She had to trust that he would extend that trust into other forms as well.

"It's hard to concentrate. I feel as if the world is spinning around and my tail is still shooting pain up my spine from whatever she injected into it." He finally relented.

Bulma smiled, taking one of her small hands and resting on his larger hand, "Alright. Close your eyes, rest your head against the head rest, and take long, even breaths. That should help you with the nausea. Just concentrate on breathing- nothing else."

"And for the pain?"

"Well deal with that when we get back, okay? I use to relieve Azel of a lot of pain when it was close to the end of her time; we'll see if I can't do something to take the discomfort away. Just do as I said for now."

Vegeta didn't reply, he did as she had instructed, trying hard to fight the nausea that wracked his body. Bulma slowly increased her speed, trying to get back as soon as she possibly could without making her dear Saiyan motion sick.

_My dear Saiyan?_ She thought to herself, shocked at the thought. She smiled inwardly as she softened her eyes, _Yeah. He's my Saiyan. No one else's… mine._

She liked that thought.

She drove him back home, pulling into the back away from her parent's lodgings and closer to Vegeta's. There was more than one way to get into compound if you knew the place like Bulma did.

"Go lay down for a while," Bulma said as she gently patted his shoulder, "I'm going to go draw you a hot bath so you can relax, okay Vegeta?"

"Sure, Onna," Vegeta allowed, grunting as he stood and walked as gracefully as he could muster, which was lacking its usual feline grace.

She capsulated the car and headed inside. She headed upstairs towards her quarters. Since Vegeta had guest quarters, he didn't have a bathtub, just a shower that he had use of almost twice a day. Once a day, recently, since he was recovering from pneumonia and was banned from training. She headed into her bathroom, turning on the faucet and adjusting the water till it was the perfect temperature before going back into her room, cleaning it up a bit.

She had many of her gadgets littered around her room. Her favorite motorcycles laying about on display with several of their parts laying next to them. She couldn't help that she was always a bit tomboyish, liking the sparkling engines of vehicle. Even Yamcha had been impressed with her collection, though, he didn't know a single thing about the motorcycles. Another one of his many faults was his tastes in vehicles.

She picked up her loose clothes and put them away. Her gadgets were left where they were, but she made her bed quickly before going back into her bathroom and shutting off the water. She checked the temperature to find it satisfying. She pulled out a couple of towels, setting them on the counter and making one quick glance to make sure anything that should not be seen wasn't. Then went to find the prince.

She found him on his bed, lying on his stomach and his face buried in the pillow. She walked up to him, making sure to make enough noise so he could hear her before resting her hand on his shoulder.

"Feeling any better?" She asked hopefully.

He shook his head no, keeping it buried in the pillow.

"Oh, alright," Bulma said, rubbing his back a bit, "I made you a bath. It is in my bathroom, but no one will bother you in there. It will make you feel better."

_Why do you care, Onna?_ She heard his thoughts penetrate hers.

"Am I not suppose to care?" She asked, confused at his question.

_You didn't answer the question._

"I care because you are my friend."

She could hear him chuckle darkly in her mind. _Friend, Onna?_

"Yes. You are my friend," Bulma agreed, "Despite what you may want or think, I am your friend. Now get up and go soak in the tub for a while. It will help."

She gave him a hard couple of pats on the back before exiting the room and heading down the stairs to greet her parents.

"Good afternoon, sweetheart!" Mrs. Briefs greeted, looking up from her cooking, "Where is that handsome man? Did you two get to his appointment on time?"

"Yes mom, Vegeta made his appointment to Dr. Sonata on time. He's currently upstairs. He's still sore about loosing the game last night."

"Oh I see. Would he like to have something to eat?" Bunny said with a smile.

Again, Bulma never could understand how her mother seem to have that knowing smile on her face.

"No, probably not. He will come down if he is hungry." Bulma said.

"Alright dear. Vegeta is such a handsome man, too bad I am a married woman." She said, giving Bulma a look.

"Yes mom, and this is why he won't touch you with a fifty foot pole."

"What are you talking about dear?"

"Nothing mom." Bulma said rolling her eyes and snagging some food and heading back over to her section of the house, "I'm going to go run some tests on my current project."

She left the room, heading to her portion of the large house and entered her newly made Gravity Room's mainframe room. She sighed as she sat down, turning on the machine and began to work.

* * *

_'Despite what you might want or think, I am your friend.'_ The words that she had spoken echoed through his mind.

Those words for some reason were haunting him. He had finally gotten up and headed for the woman's room. He had never been in her quarters and was thoroughly surprised at her décor. He had half expected it to be filled with frills and lace, but instead there were vehicles and half built machines lying about. Her room wasn't too feminine but not masculine at the same time. It had the perfect balance of the two.

He finally managed to find the bathroom, and was again impressed by her tastes. He pushed that aside as he stripped slowly, being careful of his agitated stub and tested the water.

It was steaming hot, but not to the point of making it uncomfortable. He sighed as he got in, feeling his nerves ease themselves in the water.

_'I am your friend.'_ Her voice echoed again in his head.

Why did she even claim that? Didn't she know he wasn't one of her Z-fighter friends? He had threatened her life more times than he could remember and she still thought him as her friend?

His mind went back to the beginning of his ailment, with him waking in the medical wing. Why had she cared? Why did she try to keep him down and take care of him? Was it because of the androids?

No. He wasn't that stupid to think that she would risk bodily injury to herself for something like that. The boy from the future had told them he was one of the first to die. She wasn't stupid enough to think that he would save her from them when he was trying so desperately to defy his given fate. In fact, she tried to stay away from him as much as she could beforehand.

Something had changed during the last couple weeks, all beginning with the day she had sworn at him in Saiya-jin.

But the fact was, did he want her to be his friend? His companion? He groaned as his head throbbed for thinking this hard. Even a competitive match of wits with her didn't make his head feel like it was ready to implode!

He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. She had him pinned pretty well. She knew what he meant and how he felt about so many things. Her smile was dazzling and sometimes when they played games, he would let her win a couple rounds just to see her face light up with a brilliant smile.

He was getting in too deep. He knew that. Yet… he couldn't bring himself to feel as if she was a waste of his time and affections. She took care of him, she kept his secrets, and she had become apart of his pack. _SHE_ had allowed him to open a mind bond between them even though she knew it connected her to the likes of him.

_"Bulma is a special gem. I have seen none like her and will probably never see another more stunning example of wits, determination, and forgiveness all in one little being. What she lacks in strength, she makes up for in so many other things."_ Azel's words from his long conversation with him rose to mind.

Even a Saiyan female raised in the peak of the Saiyan empire had nothing but good words to say of her. Vegeta sighed again as he closed his eyes and tried to empty his head.

This was getting very confusing and he wanted it all just to make sense. He needed things to make sense. He needed control over the things of his life, but he found it hard. He had always had Frieza telling him what to do, but now that his freedom was his… he had no clue what to do with it.

He had already blown it more then once. Killing Nappa, egging on Zarbon, egging on Frieza, and not taking well enough care of his body that he had been gravely wounded the first time and gravely sick the second. However, the woman made his life a little easier. She would try to boss him around, giving him guidance that he desperately needed. She knew how to take care of him, what he needed, and understood him and his culture more than the others.

She wasn't afraid of him. She didn't back down when she knew she was right, she didn't give in to him like the others, and she treated him like everyone else- maybe even better. She had patience with him when everyone else had hate or distrust in their hearts. She was his one and only pack member and he was determined to keep her safe.

He trusted no one more than he trusted her.

His eyes flew open at that revelation. He trusted no one more than he trusted her. He trusted her.

He smirked as he finally relaxed fully into the water. He trusted her. His mind stopped swirling over her words. He knew what she meant to him.

She was his most trusted one. His only pack member. His only companion. His only friend. And perhaps she could be something more?

He didn't know, but he decided to drop it for now. His mind had finally stopped reeling about and was becoming tranquil again. He didn't want to risk it throbbing again.

_Vegeta, are you done yet?_ Her thoughts entered his mind shortly after his mind calmed.

_Almost. Why?_ He responded, pulling himself up slowly and grabbing a towel to dry himself. He wasn't in there to bath, only soak and relax. His body felt better after the long soak and the shooting pain and dulled greatly.

_Just checking. Feeling better?_

_Much._

_Good._ She sounded happy about his health, but she continued on. _Go back to your room when you are done and lie on your stomach. Leave your shirt off and I will be in there soon. I am going to do something to help your fatigue._

_I am fine, Onna. I do not need your worries._ Vegeta refuted, getting dried and dressing once again into his clothes.

_Ah, ah, ah,_ she chided in his mind, _you lost the bet, mister. Your butt is mine all day. If I say jump, you have to jump. If I said bark, you have to bark. Now go lie down before I think of something worse for you to do than just lying on your stomach._

_Fine!_ He growled in his mind before pulling away from her conscious.

"Blasted woman taking advantage of that stupid bet." He grumbled as he made his way to his bedroom.

He glanced one last time at her line of motorcycles and admired them a moment longer. They looked fun. He never thought that the woman was a thrill seeker, but seeing those machines made him think different. They looked dangerous if the rider didn't know what they were doing, but she collected them and worked on them. He had even seen her ride one once. She had a vast amount of control over the vehicle and her agility and dexterity were not lost on him when she rode the giant metal contraption with grace and ease.

He continued on his way, reaching his room in a matter of minutes and plopped down on his bed. He laid there stomach down, listening and waiting for her to appear.

He had learned to sense ki when he had returned from Earth. It was one of the most amazing abilities that he had ever picked up. There was so many possibilities with being able to read ki, including knowing if someone was about to sneak up on you. Another great thing was that he could locate her from anywhere in this giant house. He didn't know how well he would do if she went into a crowd, but she tended to shy away from things like that. She hated crowds. He knew that.

He sensed her coming up the stairs and towards his room. She had been down in that area of the house again and he was beginning to wonder what she did all day in that section of the house. She said she was working, but she never told him what it was. His thoughts were interrupted when she opened the door gently, rapping her knuckles on the wood of the door.

"Hey," she said gently as she quietly approached him, sitting next to him on his bed, "You did as I asked."

She seemed pleased over the idea. Vegeta just hmphed, pulling his pillow closer to his face as he glowered at her. His dark expression reminding her that he was only doing this because of his word.

"Okay, okay," She laughed lightly "I know you only did it because you have to, but you could have argued over it more. Thanks. Now tell me: is this too strong?"

She pushed a bottle of something next to his nose. He took a whiff and shook his head no. It was very faint, even to his more sensitive nose.

"Good." She said with a smile, "Now whatever I do, you are _not_ allowed to argue, move, or push me away. Got it?"

She didn't wait for him to answer. Instead she pulled herself further onto the bed, sitting on the other side of him on his huge bed. He was puzzled at first but he soon discovered his answer when she began her ministrations.

Bulma was astounded as she continued to massage his back. It was like one huge knot! The sheer amount of stress that he put himself under to even get his muscles this tense was absolutely astounding! No wonder he wasn't making as much progress as he should! He was far beyond what a normal person would call a breaking point.

She continued to work his back, trying to get the tense muscles to relax at her touch. Azel's back would tense up because of her burns and she use to ease her of it. She use to spend hours rubbing her mentor's back until her fingers felt numb and the older woman's back finally grew slack under her touch.

Even though that had been years ago, she could still remember everything that she was taught. She knew that she had a photographic memory, but she never thought her muscle memory would be able to perform just the right amount of pressure that she needed to perform each stroke.

She concentrated on her work. Smiling when a groan or pleased grunt would penetrate the air of silence that had overtaken the room. Slowly, but surely, Vegeta unwound himself and his muscles began to relax under her ministrations. In fact, he was practically purring like a large lazy cat would when it was stroked just the right way. She had to bite her tongue when he had began to purr to keep herself from laughing with joy.

Vegeta was anything but a lazy cat. It was, however, the first thing that came to mind when she looked at him. He was like a large tiger to her and she didn't mind thinking of him as a big cat. She hated how the others could call him a monkey. Sure, the tail was brown and moved more like a primate's tail, but he was _nothing_ like an ape or monkey outside his Oozaru form. His race had many animalistic traits compared to humans, but from what she could see, those traits were a mix of different animals. Wolves mated for life and had a need for traveling in packs; lone wolves never lived long. His prowlness and hunting capabilities were more feline like then monkey. His ability to think and strategized was even better than most human levels. No. He was not a stupid monkey at all and she refused to let anyone call him that around her.

She returned her thoughts to her work, moving her fingers lower on his back as she worked. She was debating massaging lower then his hips, a taboo spot for men since it made them excited sexually, but she wanted to see if she could do some good on his tail stub. That part was _definitely_ in the taboo area.

She knew that it wasn't the wisest of ideas and he might get mad at her later for it, but it was for his own good. If she could make it feel better, then she was willing to get yelled at for it. She discretely stretched her thumbs and fingers lower, going under his pants and finding the area in question. His purring stopped when she touched the spot, a pained grunt replacing his bliss.

She hushed him gently as she continued her work, trying to ignore his pained noises as he tensed up.

"Onna," he managed out in a strangled voice.

"I know," she cut him off in the most soothing tone she had, "I'm sorry."

She might have said she was sorry, but she didn't stop. She continued to massage the area, slowly feeling his body relax as she worked the tenseness of his agitated remains of his tail. Dr. Sonata had told her to give him a massage. Bulma knew that she had meant down near his tail stub to relax the muscles around the inflamed and swollen area. Soon she could feel him relax as best he could with her stroking very sensitive nerves repeatedly. She felt bad because she knew that he was receiving it as sexual pleasure in his mind. She had probably aroused him greatly with that stunt, but she had to do it.

Soon her hands were above his hips and feeling out any knots that she couldn't rid him of the first round and giving them one last rub down before pulling away.

She looked at Vegeta's head, noticing how he had buried his forehead into his pillow, leaving his mouth and nose room to breath. His strong arms were gripping at the pillow with everything he had and he was trying to keep his breathing calm.

"Onna," He stated again, pulling his head away from the pillow the moment he knew she was done, "What the hell do you think you were doing?"

His features were marred by an angry scowl as he tried to make her see he wasn't pleased with her little stunt.

"I was trying to help," Bulma said with a strong, stubborn look, "I know you probably have some issues with me going that low down your back, _especially_ near all those sensitive nerves, but if you wanted any relief, I had to do that."

"So you knew what that would do and yet you still did it? Onna, if I had been anyone else, you would have not made it out with everything intact."

Bulma could hear the underlying message. He was saying, _"If I hadn't had as much control of myself as I did, you would not have left a virgin."_

"I know," Bulma said, crawling over him to get off the bed, "But you are you and I know you have that amount of control. I didn't doubt for even a second that you didn't lack the sheer amount of self-control that it took."

"You will not do that again, Onna," Vegeta clarified, "Do not cross that boundary again or next time I will not restrain myself. Do. You. Understand?"

"Yes, Vegeta," she replied, gathering her things and preparing to leave, "Go take a cold shower. It'll help."

With that she headed out the door, hearing Vegeta grumbled angrily to himself about what she had done. Despite having the biggest erection he had ever had in his life, he did feel immensely better, even his usually aching tail stub. But because she had aroused him so greatly and caused him pain when she had first started, he was ignoring how great he felt in order to be angry with her.

But he let her get away with it in the end.

And not for any better reason than this:

Because it was her.

That was his only reason.


	8. Chapter 8

Wow! The crappiest week of my life is over! Man, I would tell you all why it was so crappy, but then I feel as though I would be boring you. Let's just say that printers are nasty and hateful things that are out to get me and waste my precious time to the point that I want to scream and break down crying because they won't print my typography project...

But anyways. I hope this makes your week good. I am catching up to my stockholm of chapters, so they might being coming out a little more spaced as I struggle with the chapter I am writing.

Love to hear from all of you guys out there. It makes me excited. So I hope to hear from you all!!

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 8

_I'm not Here to Hinder  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ... there... I said it... WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT! *cries***

* * *

Several days when by, Vegeta was allowed to train again, but as Bulma had told him- to her standards. He stretched early morning, went in to the gravity simulator when the blasted woman's timer allowed him, set it as high as the machine would currently allow him, then work until it clocked off. The first couple time it occurred he would let out a loud roar of frustration. But by the end of the week, he had grown accustomed to the blasted thing clocking off right when he was in the middle of training.

He would head inside and find a nice place to meditate in the inside gardens. He would stop for meals, but usually was left to be by himself. Bulma would play a couple games with him at odd times of the day, but other then that, she was busy doing something.

By the end of the week, Bulma had decided that he was recovered enough that he could set his own limits again. However, she had plans for his old Gravity Simulator Room that he was still using. She waited till late one night before she headed outside and capsulated the giant machine, finally getting the ugly object off of her lawn. She headed back inside and went to bed. She knew that she was going to get one ugly of a wake up call, but boy was she looking forward to tomorrow.

"ONNA!!!"

Bulma jumped at the loud roar of the nickname the surely prince had deemed her with. She blinked for a minute before letting out a sly smile and snuggling up to her pillow further. He would come up when he was calm enough to think straight.

It took a lot less time then she had expected. One minute she was snuggling her pillow in her nice warm bed, the next she was being hoisted over the Saiyan's shoulder and being taken away from her bed.

"Need something Vegeta?" She asked calmly, letting out a yawn and propping herself up against his back with an elbow.

"Where is it?" He seethed, still taking her to where the missing GR once stood.

"Where's what?"

"Where's my GR! Blasted woman, where did you put my GR!"

"Oh, that old thing? I thought it was an eyesore, so I put it away." She said calmly, stretching herself best she could against his solid frame.

"Give it back." He snarled, pulling her off and setting her on her feet in front of him.

His face showed his discontent and anger at her action. She knew that it was one of the few things that he really claimed as _his_, but she knew he would like his surprise. She just needed to rile him up _just a bit more_.

"No."

"No?"

She nodded, "No. I am tired of looking at it Vegeta, plus it wasn't helping you progress any further. Sure you could withstand high gravity rates, but there was no room in there to let you grow."

"Then what would _you_ suggest since you are the all knowing guru of training," Vegeta snarled, his words thick with sarcasm.

"First," Bulma started with a yawn, touching a hand lightly to the side of his face, "calm down. It is not the end of the world. You lived without a GR before and you could easily do it again."

He inhaled deeply, forcing himself to calm down. He was angry, but he didn't want to lash out at her. It would be disgraceful to let his anger get the better of him in this situation.

"Onna…" He said exasperated.

Her hand on his face slid down until she was holding his hand, gentle tugging at it.

"Next, you must realize that I am not here to harm you. I have your best interest, even when you don't. Now come along and come eat breakfast with me. We'll have it in my kitchen, okay?" She said, looking at him with a placid look.

He didn't know why he was letting her direct him where she wanted. He didn't even know why she was getting out of this scotch free. He held her hand, letting her direct him to an unused kitchen that was once again beautifully decorated with the blue haired minx's remarkable tastes that were neither as silly as her mother's nor to overdone. It was not masculine nor was it by any means frilly or overly feminine.

She cooked for them, trying to placate Vegeta, who was still sulking at what she had done. He was sitting at the counter next to her cooking stove, resting his head in his arms, watching her with annoyance, but at the same time vexation.

She had hit home when she had said he wasn't growing. He could feel himself struggle to get to the next level and was suffering with trying to find a reason to fight. He could only get so far with just fighting for himself. Bulma knew this, but he was still struggling to see it.

She cooked him food, he accepted it. He was ready to ask her what would come next, but she seemed ahead of him.

"Come here," she said, holding out her hand for him to take.

He sighed as he once again took her hand in his, letting her guide him around. She lead him to a door, stopping and smiling back to him. She stroked his hand she was holding with the pad of her thumb.

She pressed a button and opened up the door and led him through. He paused as he looked at the room. It was huge! Easily the whole bottom wing of her part of the house.

"I thought you might need more room to grow," She said, pulling his hand closer to her face, "So I made this for you."

His eyes widened as he realized what this room was.

"This is a-"

"A modified Gravity Room. It reaches at least 2000g, the metal alloy in this room is durable and is built for destructive Saiyans, like you. The system as over twenty different types of battle bots with sixty of each. A perfect place for the likes of you to grow." She stated proudly.

"Why… why did you do this?" Vegeta asked, looking at her with unguarded surprise and shock.

He didn't understand her.

She stared down at his hand for a minute, stroking his knuckles as she studied it.

"Think of it as a gift." She said, pressing her lips against his knuckles with a quick kiss, "For getting better."

She dared to glance up at his face as he took in the whole room. The huge room just for him to work and train in as he pleased. The weather was getting colder and now he no longer had to trudge outside in the frosty mornings to get to the GR, which was usually freezing inside due to the low temperatures outside.

He couldn't help but let the smile creep up on his face.

Bulma's eyes widened.

She had never seen him smile like that. Usually there was some sort of underlying coldness or cruelness to his smiles, but this one was different. This one made her heart skip a beat at least three times in the couple seconds that it graced her presence before he flashed it fully at her. Then her heart just stopped.

Vegeta pulled her close with the hand she was holding onto and gently leaned down and pressed his lips against her temple, like she had done to him when he was ill, then lowered his lips till they rested next to her ear.

_"Thank you_." He whispered before pulling away.

He walked up to the controls, leaving Bulma standing there, struck dumb and gawking at him.

"Leave so I can train, Onna," Vegeta said in his gruff voice, not once turning to face her.

"Okay," She said weakly, before she was able to shake her stupor, "But don't you dare wreck all those droids! It took me three weeks to build them all."

She was walking out the doorway when she heard, "I'll try to make them look at least recognizable."

"That's all I ask for your Royal Whyness."

"Shut up Onna." He said with a playful tone.

"If you so wish it, my sweet prince." Bulma bantered right back.

She giggled lightly as she shut the door and listened to her grand machine powering up. She smiled. Though she hadn't told him, she believed that he could become a Super Saiyan, an _Awakened One_, just like Goku…

…but even better.

* * *

Two months rolled by like nothing. Vegeta once again concentrated on his training, but not as obsessively as before. He would stop and eat meals before returning back to his work. He did turn off the GR around midnight and would sleep for at least six hours before rising and beginning again. He made time to stop and look for Bulma, either getting her into a heated debate with him, or playing some sort of mental game with him, bantering with her the whole time.

He enjoyed her. The more time he spent with her, though he would go to hell first before he admitted, the more he actually started like Earth if only just because of her. She never ceased to entertain him, even when he thought he had her pinned, because she'd do something totally unexpected and make an enigma of herself all over again. Azel had been right to call her a rare gem. He was becoming quickly addicted to her, spending time with her whenever he could spare it.

At first, he had berated himself for letting himself open up to someone like her: weak, Human, and fragile. But he soon realized that it was pointless to think such things since she was apart of his pack. Even Azel, who was an older Saiya-jin, had allowed humans to become apart of her life. He relied on the fact that she approved of the blue haired minx while he continued to be enchanted by her. Her happiness was his happiness, so when she wasn't paying attention, he spoiled her the best he could without her realizing.

Bulma concentrated on her work. Ever since they had made the mental bond, she no longer felt so alone. It felt as if Azel was alive again and she was prospering greatly from the link. She began to do more activities than before because of a new sense of kinship she had found. Walking on a tread mill had become mundane to her for some strange reason, so in the privacy of her lab, she picked up something she had not touched since Azel's passing.

A sword.

When she had been little, she use to sit for hours, watching as Azel would craft Japanese blades. Her blades were used as apart of her duty to protect Bulma. Azel wasn't fast enough to strike a human more then once or twice and if they didn't go down the first two blows, she would need something else to fight them back with.

Plus, after her having Venus, she had needed something to help with her post-pregnancy body. She would work on katas for hours, training her body to have control as she once had. Since her right arm had been burned, she used her left hand in swinging the blade instead.

She had held no objection when Bulma asked to learn. She trained the child and taught her the way of the sword. Bulma never carried one with her, heavens no, it was just a way to exert extra energy. No one but Azel knew of her swordsmanship.

When Bulma had gone to pick up her sword, after so many years, she almost laughed when she toppled forward. It had taken her a few days to adjust to the weight, but she eventually became use to the weight of her sword. It was dull, so she could not hurt herself too terribly, but made of the finest steel. There was no guard on the blade, but she never wanted one. She had wanted her blade just like Az's.

After about two months, she was feeling better than she had in a long time. She was getting a lot of work done, she was practicing her swordsmanship again, and on every odd couple days, she and Vegeta would have a game of wits.

Everything was better than it had been in a very, very long time.

Bulma hummed happily to herself as she worked on her newest idea. She didn't even bother to look at the caller ID on her phone when she heard the device give off its little jingle.

"Hello, Bulma Briefs speaking," She said in a cheery tone, tucking the phone against her shoulder so she could keep working.

"Hey Babe," a familiar voice said from the other side of the phone.

And all of Bulma's good mood came crashing down.

"Oh… Hi," She bit out, stopping what she had been doing, holding the phone to her ear with her hand.

"How are you doing?"

"Good."

"Oh, well that's good!" He seemed oblivious to the fact that she wasn't excited to hear from him, "Look, Babe, I wanted to apologize to you for all those things I said. I am sorry I didn't call earlier, but I had been throwing myself into my training. I really am sorry Babe. I want to make it up to you."

"Really?" She asked, her tone heavy with sarcasm, "And how do you propose to do that? I told you I didn't want to hear from you until you were ready to really apologize."

"But I am!" He yelped out, "Bulma, if I was any more sincere about this you wouldn't believe me at all! You can only take so much sincerity before you double guess it!"

"Coming from a guy like you? I have to double guess everything."

"Come on. I will take you out to a nice dinner, to that place you like so much. I'm not even asking for a date, I just want to show you I am sorry!"

Bulma sighed. She couldn't hate the guy even if she tried. He was like a little wayward puppy who just didn't understand when he peed on the carpet or nipped at the hand who fed him.

"Alright Yamcha, I will go to dinner with you _as your friend_. I am not going to get back together with you nor is this a date. This is you apologizing to me for all those things you said."

"Yes Babe! I promise that you won't regret it! I'll pick you up tonight at seven?"

"Yeah, sure," Bulma said, she was already regretting it, "See you tonight Yamcha."

With that she hung up, not even caring if he wasn't done. She pulled away from her current project and fetched her sword. She needed to relieve her frustrations before Yamcha picked her up in five hours.

She threw herself into her katas, doing dozens of dances with her sword, not caring once when her muscles screamed out in exhaustion. After three hours, she stopped, putting her blade away and headed back into the house. She headed to her room and took a shower, readying herself for her meeting.

She made herself look presentable. If he was really taking her to her favorite spot- the one that he thought was her favorite restaurant- then she would have to wear the appropriate outfit at least. She pulled up her hair in a elegant twist, not bothering to lace it up with too much jewelry, and put on a decent dress that the would be proper if the tabloids caught wind her going into town. She growled angrily as she headed down the stairs, waiting for Yamcha to knock on the door.

"What's the occasion?" The gruff voice of Vegeta asked curiously.

Bulma whirled around, clapping her hand to her heart as she stared of the Saiyan.

"Vegeta! You scared me! Don't you know better than to sneak up on me?"

"Yes, well, you make it too easy. Now answer the question, Onna. What is the occasion."

Bulma's bad mood returned as she glanced at the door, clasping on one last piece of jewelry before answering her loyal companion.

"Two months or so ago, I told Yamcha to get out of my house until he was willing to sincerely apologize. He called today and asked for forgiveness. He said that he wanted to take me to one of my favorite diners. Its not a date. I refuse to date that man ever again."

"But yet you dress up to go to dinner with him?"

"The place is rather… high class."

"Then its not your favorite diner," Vegeta dismissed it.

She whirled around, looking at him with shock, "Yeah, its not, but he doesn't think that. Look. I am just going to go and see if he means it, Vegeta. He's one of my friends."

"Then I guess I am dining with your parents _alone_ then." Vegeta sighed, pulling his face into one of disgust.

"Hey, by all means, you don't have to eat with them, you can always find something else to eat. Just tell my mother before she goes to great lengths to cook for you."

The door bell rang, interrupting the two from their conversation. Bulma's eyes drifted downwards before she turned to get the door, "You should probably go… _sigh_, see you later 'Geta."

"Be safe, Onna." He whispered before heading further into the house, away from Yamcha's prying eyes.

He quickly became lost in thought the moment he was out of sight.

Bulma on the other hand answered the door. Yamcha had told her how beautiful she was and whisked her away to the exclusive restaurant. It use to be that Bulma would have to be the one to book the place for them, but now, since Yamcha had made a living and gathered his own prestige as a martial artist and as a baseball player, he could just as easily book a reservation here as well.

The dinner had been going quite well. No one had bothered them and Yamcha didn't flirt shamelessly with the waitress- who usually flirted right back. However, things went to hell the moment that she excused herself to use the bathroom.

"You should watch out, you know," a woman said to her, stalking into the bathroom shortly after her.

"And why should I do that?"

"That man you're with is Yamcha Bandit." She said, moving out of the way when another woman came in, "He's bad news."

"Who? Yamcha Bandit's out there?" The new woman asked, looking at the other one, "Tell me about it."

"What the hell are you two talking about," Bulma demanded, "look I know he's a flirt, but that's all he is."

Both woman looked at each other and began to laugh.

"That's rich!" The first one said with a huff, "I dated him for five years, I only recently broke up with him when he claimed he didn't contact me because he had died. We did _more_ than just flirt."

"You," the second woman gasped, "_dated_ him before he mysteriously disappeared?!? I was dating him for at least six years before that! What the hell!"

Bulma could tell that these women were telling the truth. She didn't know how, but deep inside she knew that they were telling the truth. She had never thought that Yamcha would do such things _while_ they were dating though. He had told her that he loved her and cared the world for her and yet… he was screwing women behind her back? At least when she had caught him that time, they had been broken up _technically_.

"I dated Yamcha for ten years," She finally said, tears beginning to run down her face, betrayal evident in her face, "I dated him for ten years and he goes and _screws_ other women?"

She was screaming at that time, her blue eyes tearing up.

Both women paused as they looked at the blue haired beauty. Her betrayal burned within her.

"Was it because I refused to sleep with him? Was that it? Or was I not good enough to keep his attention? What the hell do you two _sluts_ have that I didn't?" She yelled as she pushed past them, quickly gliding to the exit so she could get away from Yamcha.

"Hey Babe!" It seemed as though Yamcha had noticed her trying to leave, "What's wrong?"

"I dated you for ten years, Yamcha, _ten_! And you had the gall to date other woman while we were dating and sleep with them? Was I not good enough for you? Did I hurt your pride when I didn't lay with you and meet your needs? Was I just not enough for you?" She slapped him with her hand, making a loud audible sound, "Well go to hell! Forget about me accepting your apology! I _never_ want to see you again! You… You…"

She couldn't finish; her tears choked her as she turned to leave. She was done making a spectacle of herself. She darted out of the restaurant with as much dignity as she could muster, popping one of her capsules and exposing one of her favorite motorcycles.

"Bulma!" She could hear Yamcha call after her, but she ignored him. She kicked her baby into high gear and shot out as quickly as she could.

She didn't get far before Yamcha had caught up with her. Her vehicle was fast, but he was faster when it came to flying. He pulled her off her motorcycle, pushing it off the road and set her down next to her now scratched up bike that was lying in the grass.

"Bulma!" He yelled, "What the hell is going on!"

"Don't pretend you don't know!" She pushed him away, heading for her bike to pull it up and assess the damage.

"I didn't date anyone when I was dating you!" He shouted at her in his defense, she could hear the lie as clear as day now.

"You suck at lying Yamcha!" She screamed as she kept walking, tears running down her face as well as her mascara.

She would have kept going, but he had grabbed her wrist, gripping it painfully.

"Will you just listen to me!? I can explain!"

"No! You can't! You can't say that you didn't sleep around because- because," She paused as she felt herself gasping for air as she kept crying, "I trusted you. I gave you the best years of my life! I could have been married by now if I hadn't thought that one-day you'd finally be a man and ask me! You- you!"

She ripped her wrist out of his hand, something he had not been expecting, and slapped him again with all her might. She could hear her wrist crack when she hit the Z-warrior. It only made her cry more.

His face was one of absolute shock. He had literally _felt_ that and his ki had been raised so he wouldn't be hurt by the attack. But honest to Kami, he had_ felt_ that. And it had hurt. His expression slowly turned to one of anger. He grabbed her wrist again, pulling her close despite her cry of agony when he touched her wrist.

Bulma knew that look. She had pushed the man too far- something she had only done once before- and now was going to get a swat herself. She didn't care though. He had deserved it for cheating on her when they had been together. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the hard slap, but it never came.

Instead, he had quickly released her wrist and she couldn't feel the heat of his body in front of her. In fact, she could swear that she heard low territorial growls through the sounds of the highway above them. She opened up and eye and gasped at what she saw before her.

Yamcha was gripping at the hand that was wrapped around his neck, his eyes wide as he looked at the very pissed off Saiyan that held him easily in the air, even despite their height difference.

"Don't you _dare_ think you could touch her like that and get away with it," Vegeta hissed at him, tightening his grip.

Yamcha winced as he struggled to breathe.

_Don't kill him_ was on the tip of her tongue. She wanted to say it, but she held it back. She looked at Yamcha and then to the ground. He was going to hit her. He had betrayed her. She felt so low. Every time he had said the words 'I love you' to her, they had meant nothing. He wasn't loyal, he wasn't trustworthy, and he had more than just stabbed her in the back. He had attacked her pride, her trust, and her reputation with his actions.

She wanted to let Vegeta rip him to shreds, but…

She couldn't…

She couldn't let Vegeta kill someone. He would get in trouble for it and then none of the Z-warriors would trust him. He would never get any peace from them after that.

_Thinking of my reputation with those stupid Z-warriors should be the last thing on your mind, Onna._ Vegeta's thoughts penetrated her morbid ones.

She looked at him with shock, but he continued on in her head. _You are past the point of being able to contain your thoughts. Your emotions and thoughts have been spilling into my head ever since you learned of his betrayal to you…_

The only thing she could think of was _Please don't kill him… He's trash… but… he's still human… he doesn't deserve to die._

_I would not honor him with such dignity, onna. Nor would I let you watch._

He held him there for a moment longer before giving him a swift, hard punch to the gut, knocking the tall scarred man unconscious. He dropped him like a rock and approached her.

"You really are a disaster," he whispered looking up and down her.

"Yeah… I know," she sniffled, not looking at him while she cradled her wrist, "I want to go home."

"I know," he said, walking over to her bike and capsulated it before approaching her and gently lifted her into his arms, cradling her body against his, "Let's go."

She pressed her face into his shoulder, holding her wounded wrist with the other as she wept into his shoulder. He didn't say a single word on the short flight back. He didn't walk her through the house, no, he landed on the balcony that her room was connected to and used his ki to open the locked door. He flicked on a few of her lights and set her on her bed.

"Let me have a look at your wrist," He said, taking the offended arm and gently held it in his grip.

He stared at it for a minute before he tried to rotate it. She sob louder when he did so, letting him know she was in pain.

"Your wrist is cracked. How did you get this?" He asked, "did that weakling do this?"

"I…_sniff_… cracked it… _sniff_… when I slapped his face."

"You did?" He sounded amused, despite the circumstance, "I never thought you were one for lashing out against weak idiots."

"Well he deserved it," she snapped angrily, "He-"

"-I know. I told you to stay away from him."

"You.. you _knew_?!" She asked unbelievingly.

"I come from a different race. I did smell the women on him, but it didn't make sense till Dr. Sonata pointed out the differences in our cultures." He said calmly, assessing what could be done for her arm.

She ripped her arm out of his hold, fighting back the tears from jarring her injury, "Why didn't you tell me!"

"I warned you to stay away from him. What was I suppose to do, tell you that he reeked of women and yet even though he was your ex-temporary mate that he didn't smell of you in the slightest? Nor did you smell of him? Onna, I didn't tell you because _this_ would have been the outcome months ago and I was not strong enough at that time to come to your rescue if he _had_ tried to lash out at you as he did! Now stop moving so I can repair this." He snapped at her, trying to keep his temper in check.

She stared at him wide eyed for a moment before she came to her senses. Her eyes calmed down and drooped as she came down from her adrenaline rush. She gently placed her wrist back in his hand and let him finish assessing her injury.

"That's better," He huffed, standing up and heading out of the room, "Don't move."

She did as he told her, her spirit dropping lower and lower the more her adrenaline rush disappeared. Vegeta had come back with some of his first aid and sat down on her bed, pulling her onto his lap.

"Why did he do that?" She whispered, "Was I not good enough for him? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, Onna," Vegeta sighed, taking her wrist and applying the salve onto it to heal the bruises that were forming, "It wasn't anything that you did."

"Then why?"

"Because, he is a weak idiotic, cowardly human. That is why." He hoped that she would stop wallowing.

He wasn't good at this stuff. He didn't know what to tell her. Unfaithful pigs in Vegeta-sei would get tortured till they took their own lives. His people were not tolerant of things like this. It was un-excusable to betray your life mate in such a way. His father had pounded that into his head when he was little.

You never, ever, _ever_, betray the trust of your life-mate. She is your only ally in times of need. She is your source of comfort. She is your equal and she will fight to defend you just as you are to defend her. That was what a life-mate was. If you betrayed her, then you were not to be trusted in any shape or form. Who could trust one who could not honor his only real ally?

Once her bruises faded, he wiped the salve off and cleaned up her wrist. It would take weeks for it to heal. He couldn't allow that. He knew that it would only take him a night to heal from such a small crack, so he knew what he had to do.

"Onna, this is going to hurt a bit," He warned her before taking the scissors and using the blade to make a shallow cut on her wrist.

"Ow, what are you doing?" She gasped as she watched her blood ooze from the spot, "You can kill me doing that!"

"Hush Woman," He whispered as he rested her head next to her ear, still working on his first aid.

She gasped as he easily cut himself and pressed his open wound against hers. He held it there, allowing their blood to mingle. Finally, after what felt like forever in her mind, Vegeta pulled his wound away and began to wrap hers up.

"Why did you do that?" She asked, twisting in his lap so she could see him.

"Because you don't need to be reminded of such betrayal. Now," Vegeta pulled her up and set her on her bed, "get some rest."

Her usually dazzling sapphire eyes dimmed at the thought. She shook her head as she felt the tears begin to flow again. Try as Vegeta might, he realized that the pain of betrayal was not one that could easily be patched up, not when she had been in such a long relationship with the guy.

He sighed as he tried to think of what to do. He was no good at this! He didn't know how to comfort anything let alone a brilliant woman like her. He let out a long frustrated sigh as he did what he could.

He gently pulled her shoes off, stripping her of her purse, and carefully taking all the pins, clips, and jewelry off of her. He went into her bathroom and grabbed a washcloth and warmed it with hot water and returned to her and gently cleaned up her mascara stains and wiped most of the tears and snot she was producing off of her face as well.

He grumbled as he managed to find her Pjs and handed them to her, turning around and waited till he heard the dress plop on the ground and the last ruffle of clothing decease.

"Go to bed, woman," Vegeta told her again.

She had stopped bawling, but he could still see the remaining pain in her eyes. She wasn't going to be able to sleep; not by herself.

Bulma could hear him mutter a couple curses meant for Yamcha before he wrapped her in a blanket and cradled her in his arms. He moved for her sofa chair and made himself as comfortable as he could with a woman curled up against him.

"Go to sleep, Onna," he ordered again, keeping her head pressed against his chest so she could hear his steady heartbeat, "You will need all the rest you can get for when tomorrow comes."

"Why? What's happening tomorrow?" She asked weakly, not understanding him at all.

"Tomorrow is when you and I are going to go Dragon Ball hunting."

"Why?"

"Because that weakling will eventually come back to try to talk to you. Your guards at the door won't be able to stop him, so I am going to need to raise somebody who can back from the dead."

"You're not going to change your mind and make a wish from whatever you originally planned for… right?"

"No. I am not going to wish for immortality, woman. I promise you that."

"Then what _are_ you going to wish for exactly?"

"Trust me on it, alright?"

She paused, thinking it over in her head. Should she really trust him? What if he was just like another Yamcha?

She mentally slapped herself for thinking such a terrible thing. Vegeta was loyal. He was so much more than Yamcha. The others might see him as a monster who killed, but she could see what he really was. He wasn't evil, just a product of evil intentions. He was still able to change. He was changing. Not even six months ago he wouldn't even touch her, let alone comfort her. She was safe with him. He had protected her from Yamcha. He had shown mercy to his enemy because he didn't want her to see him kill again. He had taken care of her wounds and now was trying to soothe her pain.

Vegeta was not Yamcha.

Vegeta was her most trusted one.

More than Yamcha.

More than Gohan.

More than Krillin.

More than her mom and dad.

More than Goku.

More than even Azel.

He had yet to betray her trust and she was going to put all her trust on him. If he failed her, then no one would ever gain her trust again.

"Alright…" She nodded, closing her eyes and snuggling closer to him, "I trust you, Vegeta… I trust you."

With that her eyes finally dropped all the way and she fell into a deep sleep. She didn't remember crying out in her nightmares and being rocked back and forth as Vegeta paced the room while holding her, but he did.

He remember all of it and refused to let someone harm her like this again. Not his most trusted. Not her. Not _his_.

He didn't know why it always made him uneasy to see her cry, but it did. She should only smile and laugh and hum happily or be lively and excitable and quick witted when bantering with him. There should _be_ no sorrow in her soul, only joy.

He hushed her again as she began to whimper. He didn't want her to cry again. It struck a nerve when she did. When she cried because of someone else.

"Everything is alright," he whispered, wondering why he did so, "He's not here."

He casted his tired eyes to the heavens and hoped that tomorrow would be a better day, because this day was just not working.


	9. Chapter 9

Hurray! This week is better!!!

Just two tests, two projects, an art showing that I have to participate in and currently have nothing for the show, and about $50-75 down the drain to print one of the projects....

ARGH!!

Well here is the next chapter so I have some sort of happiness reading all your wonderful reviews (It's like crack to me, but only legal)

Love to hear from all of you guys out there. It makes me excited. So I hope to hear from you all!!

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 9

_Adventures of the Dragon Balls  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ... I wish I did... I really do.**

* * *

_"What was your husband like?" Bulma asked, looking up from her work._

_"Possessive," Azel had replied, "Go back to your work. I want to get this done before your father comes down here and begins to touch my equations."_

_"No really." She pressed on, "What was he like?"_

_"Why are you asking me this now, child?" Azel asked, pulling her head up away from her work to look at the blue haired teen._

_"I was just wondering…" She trailed off._

_"Is this something to do with that twit you brought home that you claim is your boyfriend?" The scarred woman demanded, not looking very pleased._

_"He's not a twit! He is my boyfriend, Az! Maybe one day he'll be my husband!"_

_"Please don't say that," Azel groaned as she looked back down at her work._

_"Why not!!"_

_"Because! He's a twit! He is not husband material. Not for someone like you," Azel managed to stay calm while still speaking harshly._

_"Then what is 'husband material'? That's why I am asking you!"_

_"Why me? Do you see my husband by my side? He went somewhere that I yet been able to follow. He left me here while he went off and tried to be a hero!" She lifted her head and snapped angrily._

_Bulma's temper dissolved at the pained tone of her mentor, "I'm sorry… why did he leave you? Where did he go?"_

_"It's alright dear," She said, returning to her work, "It is understandable to be curious. Sigh… he died. He left me here, and he went off and died."_

_"Oh… I'm sorry, Az… I won't ask again."_

_"No, I shouldn't be upset about it, child. You need to know what good husband material is and though my husband went off and died, he was a good husband."_

_"What was he like? What made him a good husband?"_

_"First off, he was loyal. He was my strongest supporter. He spoiled me for no reason and comforted me when I was in pain. He was trustworthy, protective of me and our children, able to protect me and shield me from the evils. But he was my equal. He asked me for my opinions, consulted me first when he had to make a big decision…" She paused, looking back over to Bulma with a hard look, "Here is what a good husband is, loyal, trustworthy, protective, and treats you as his equal. You are his first ally as he is yours."_

_"And that's what a good husband is like?"_

_"Yes. I may be mad at him, but I know he was thinking of me when he did what he had to do, just like I was thinking of him when I did what I had to do. We thought of the other's needs first."_

_Bulma paused, looking back down at her work, noticing how Azel had looked back down at hers. She smiled a little when she realized how much she wanted that kind of man. Who put her needs ahead of his._

_But then again, she would need to put his needs ahead of hers._

_She had a sinking feeling that Yamcha would never put her needs first.

* * *

_

Slowly, Bulma withdrew her mind from the darkness. She could feel her senses slowly come back to her as her mind brushed away the fogginess. Her head was throbbing. She paused. Quickly going over her mental checklist of what she might have done to get a headache, she deduced that she was not drunk, she was not knocked unconscious, but she had fallen asleep…

…On Vegeta after she had found out about Yamcha's betrayal during their years together.

She forced her eyes to smash further together when a wave of grief and betrayal resurfaced. She was alone in this and there was no one to understand her pain.

She let out a small whimper as she tried so hard not to cry.

Something moved at the sound of her whimper and she heard a light groan vibrate against her body. Bulma's eyes flew open to see what had made the noise.

She withheld a gasp as she stared at Vegeta. She was cradled in his arms while he slept uncomfortably on her sofa chair. From the bags under his eyes, he had stayed up late watching over her as she slept. Her pain of being alone suddenly vanished at the thought of him still being there for her.

She relaxed in his hold, enjoying the feel of being encased in his large arms. However, he must have been uncomfortable all night if he had been holding her and sitting in such an stiff chair. The dark bags under his eyes told of his sleepless night, probably when she cried. She remembered the nightmares, she could only guess that she had cried a lot before her dream memory of Azel.

The words from her dream came back to her full force.

_'We thought of the other's needs first.'_

Vegeta had put her needs first. He probably didn't sleep too well and was no doubt very uncomfortable.

She smiled weakly as she slipped out of his grasp. He didn't even stir when she pulled out of his hold. She stood to full height, remembering the patch job that he had given her. She was shocked when she rotated her wrist and felt no pain whatsoever. The cut mark that should have been there was all healed up and fading already.

She look back at Vegeta in awe. Did a Saiyan really heal _that_ fast? She couldn't help but smile as he shifted, trying to get comfortable in that little chair. She gave out a little sigh as she went over to her bed and pulled back the sheets. She was not surprised he wasn't awakened by her tugging at him.

A few months beforehand and she would have never been able to even pull Vegeta up, let alone drag him to her bed. But since she had returned to her swordplay, she had regained her muscle at a very rapid rate. Of course, she had to, her sword would topple her if she didn't have the right sense of balance and being able to shift weight at a second's notice. Vegeta had subconsciously helped, especially when she pushed him into her bed. She watched him shift, stretching himself out like a large cat, before getting comfortable.

She pulled the covered over him and tip-toed out of the room, snagging an outfit before leaving.

Slowly, the tail end of their conversation played through her head. She smiled at the prospect of going Dragon Ball hunting again. It had been such a long time and usually she had a lot of fun searching for the seven spherical objects of legend old. But she wanted to go slow. She hated it when there was a rush to find the magical objects. There was no time to enjoy searching for them. They brought her so many friends- even those that ended up hurting her- and so many memories that she relished her adventures searching for them.

Maybe she could convince Vegeta to travel around with her via vehicle like she had done with Goku?

Who knew? Vegeta had a tendency to surprise her with the simple little things he did. When she thought he would say no, he would say yes. When she thought he wouldn't do something, he scared the living hell out of her by doing it!

So with Vegeta, she was out of her element. He was unpredictable.

But that was one of the things she liked about him.

She smiled as she looked back at her room where she had left him snoozing. Yeah. She wanted to have fun with him on this trip. So, she would get everything ready so he couldn't say _'no'_.

With a bounce in her step, she had all but remembered the reason why he was sleeping in her room or why they were getting the Dragon Balls. The only thing she was thinking about was having a good time with the Saiyan that was burying himself deeply within her heart.

* * *

Vegeta groaned as he shifted in the bed, he hadn't felt this stiff since he had to sit in the space pods and travel long distances. He slowly stretched himself out, like a cat waking up from a long nap, and enjoyed hearing the cracking of his back as his bones no longer felt so stiff.

He snagged his pillow, shoving it in his face and took a long inhale, a bad habit he had from when he was a child. He use to sneak into his mother's quarters and sleep with her. She was usually gone by morning, being a rather restless woman, and he would take in her scent on her pillow.

He paused as he realized that this wasn't his usual scent, it was Bulma's. Her sweet scent that reminded him of the more delicate cooking spices, like vanilla, ginger, or cinnamon. Strong, but alluring.

He pulled away to look around, realizing now that he was not in his room. His memories of his long night flooded into his mind and he cleared away the grogginess that had overtaken him earlier. He had fallen asleep cradling Bulma in his arms, deciding to only take a small nap in the sofa chair while she was dreaming quietly.

But… how did he end up in the bed?

Bulma was no where in sight and by the placement of the sun, it was at least late afternoon.

How long had he been out?!

"Oh! You're awake," he heard Bulma's voice chirp.

He noticed the difference in her tone of voice. She wasn't sad. Nor was she faking the upbeat spirit in her tone. He turned to look at her, seeing her slowly approach him in a long sleeved baggy button up shirt, jeans, and a pair of suspenders that were there just for decoration.

"You were out like a light when I woke up," She said, as she pulled up a chair and sat on it backwards, "How long did you stay up?"

He knew that she must have awakened in his arms. He was glad she didn't mention it though. It was embarrassing enough to think that she had caught him holding her, cradling her, like he did.

"Until the sun was beginning to peak up above the horizon." He answered her, keeping his tone neutral, "How did I end up in your bed?"

She blinked, mulling over her answer before shrugging, "I put you in. You're heavy. Though I was amazed how you responded even though you were out like a ton of bricks. You still managed to walk a bit and you pulled yourself into the bed after I set you on it. Your pretty well trained if you can do that."

"You." He stated looking at her a little skeptically, "You pulled me into the bed. I would say that's laughable, but I highly doubt you would involve anyone else in this matter."

"Nope," Her tone dropped, but only for a moment, "by the way, thanks."

"For what?" He asked, not knowing what part she was thanking him for.

"Everything," Bulma smiled lightly as she glanced at her wrist, "My wrist doesn't hurt anymore and I was able to get a really good nights sleep despite the circumstance. It was nice to know I wasn't alone, Vegeta… Thank you."

"You are welcome, Woman," Vegeta said with a smug look, "But don't expect me to do that again. I received little to no sleep last night because your constant blubbering."

Bulma knew that was just his way of saying things and meant nothing of it. He just liked to think he was a tough guy. And Bulma didn't mind stroking that overgrown ego of his, especially after what he did for her.

"I bet you could have gone all night without sleep. You've done it so well before in the GR." She said with a grin, "Come on Vegeta, get up. You said we'd be Dragon Ball hunting today."

"Yes," he mused, "I did. Very well. Let me shower and we'll be off and ready to make a wish by nightfall."

He stood, stretching once again as he gracefully strode to his room with a quiet, almost silent footsteps. Bulma bit her lip as she watched him go.

"Hey… 'Geta?" She started, pausing and looking down as she tried to find the courage to ask.

He paused where he was, glancing over his shoulder with a light scowl, "What Woman?"

"I was wondering… I mean… Back when I was first looking for the Dragon Balls, no one I knew could fly and it was more like a road trip…" She pressed her fingers together nervously as she continued to try to find the words to ask, "I was just wondering if… maybe… could we do that? Flying and all is nice, but… I want to get out for a while, not just for a day." She paused as she looked at him, "Would that be okay?"

He didn't say anything for a moment. He seemed to be thinking about it. Bulma just hoped that he would say yes. She wanted to get to know him better and it just didn't work as well when there was work and his GR and her parents.

He truly had already made up his mind a while ago. He was just dragging out to torture her. He knew that she needed someone to spoil her rotten while she tried to coop with this betrayal. She seemed fine for now, but he doubted she would be fine when the sun fell and the nightmares haunted her. She was delicate. Her mind would riddle her with the thoughts of why the weakling had not remained loyal.

"Alright Onna, we will do it your way, but if it isn't going well, we do it mine." He finally told her.

He felt as if his hearing had been shattered when she let out a joyous squeal, tackling him with one of her tightest hugs before giving him a big kiss on his cheek.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!!" She chanted happily before tearing off towards her closet, "I just have to pack a couple outfits and I'll be ready to go! Oh! I want to take a motorcycle! Which on should I take!"

She began to rant happily to herself, not realizing the effect that she had had on the Saiyan. He was still trying to figure out what she had done to him. The kisses she had given him before were chaste with a little affection to them, but that one…

The female Saiya-jin said there were different levels of a kiss, and that one had felt more affectionate than the last two. Very affectionate. His heart felt like it was hammering in his chest. He withheld the groan as he managed to continue on walking. He could not let her catch him like this. He could feel his face flush as he managed to close his door, leaning against it as he ran his hand through his hair repeatedly.

What was she doing to him?

That was one question he didn't know the answer to.

* * *

Bulma pulled the leather jacket over her button up shirt. She had exchanged her loose jeans for a pair of skinny jeans and had put on a pair of leather boots. She was ready for the road and she was ready for adventure! She had packed several capsule containers, making sure to carry a few in her jacket just in case.

She had picked out her one of her top five motorcycles, this being one that she had designed and built entirely by herself. From the complicated engine to the paint job, she had made this one entirely by herself.

She had her hair back in a high ponytail, complimenting the gentle waves from her hair style compliment it. She had a pair of goggles around her neck and was ready to head out…

As soon as she could convince the Saiyan to _get_ on the bike.

"Come on Vegeta," She said patting the back of her baby gingerly, "Hop on."

"You must think me stupid to let you drive me anywhere," he grunted as he stood at the doorway, his arms crossed in his usual stance.

"Come on," she whined playfully, "Live a little! I can guarantee that you will _like_ this."

"I refuse to sit on the back of that thing with you driving it." He stated plainly.

"Well you don't have a license, nor am I letting you- Mr. Destroy-all-of-Bulma's-droids- drive my baby!"

"Your _WHAT_?" Vegeta asked, his eyes widening as he glanced at the machine, "Woman, that looks nothing like a human child!"

Bulma laugh lightly, "It's a figure of speech, Vegeta. It's not really my baby, but I built her from the ground up. I am allowed to have some pride in her since I put a lot of time into her! Now stop being a stubborn brat and get on the vehicle or so help me I will find a way to get your big heavy butt on the bike."

"No," Vegeta said, setting his jaw and holding his head up high.

Bulma glared at him for a minute before smirking.

"Oh alright." She said with a sneaky grin, "Well I guess I could always ask my _mother_ for some helpful hints."

"You wouldn't," He seemed appalled by the idea of her _mother_ knowing about the two of them heading off together.

"Oh _mother_!" Bulma sang out in a light tone, showing him that she would dare to do it.

She almost laughed when she felt the motorcycle dip to Vegeta's weight as he sat behind her.

"Do _not_ drag your crazy mother into this." He hissed, not at all pleased with her tactics.

"Yes, Vegeta," She laughed, "By the way. Leather is definitely your style."

"Shut up and drive Onna," he growled.

She gave out one more laugh. She had thrown the outfit at him, packing his clothes for him since for some reason he had yet to move when she had checked on him. He didn't realize what she had given him until it was too late and now he was stuck wearing black leather pants, a long dark blue sleeved tee, and a leather jacket to match the pants. Oh, and a pair of leather black gloves and leather steel-tipped boots, but he liked those.

But the _leather _pants he could have done without. Jeans would have sufficed, but unfortunately he had been too busy with his thoughts to dress himself in the proper attire before she had gotten there.

She started the engine, throttling the handle and letting the engine let out make a fierce roar before taking off. Vegeta hated to admit it, but he was impressed by the machine. It was impressive.

Perhaps he would have to get one of his own.

He let his mind wander as the blue haired minx drove. Goggles on her face and keeping the wind from hitting her eyes. She was smiling as she happily traveled far away from the city, towards the desert. Off to adventure! Off with Vegeta! And who knew? Maybe something amazing would happen!

* * *

"Wow, I think this is the same road I was taking when I met Goku!" Bulma exclaimed, looking around, "Who would have thought it would bring me back here?"

"You met_ Kakarrot_ on your little Dragon Ball hunts?" Vegeta asked with distain.

"Yep. It was the beginning of my friendship with all the guys. I met Goku looking for the Dragon Balls. He had the four star ball and it took a while to convince him it was not his grandfather talking to him. When I had first met him, I accidently hit him with my car. He had come out of no where! But then he tipped my car and went on and on about it being a monster."

Vegeta laughed cruelly, "Sounds like the idiot."

"Goku might not be smart or cunning like you or me, but he knows what he's doing in a fight, even when he was mostly untrained." Bulma defended him, "Then again, he forgot often that he was stronger than me. But he didn't know any better. Hell, he didn't even know what a bath was when I first met him!"

"Ha," Vegeta said, very amused at the idea, "No doubt Kakarrot didn't know something so basic."

"Oh, he swam daily," Bulma said with a shrug, "He just didn't know that there was a word for cleaning yourself. I had to teach him some of the more basics of taking care of himself. Eating right, using a utensil instead of his hands, brushing his teeth, giving himself a bath, and the worst one- personal privacy."

"_You_ had to teach him these things? How old was he? Five?" Vegeta snorted.

"Try twelve." Bulma deadpanned, a blush crossing her face as she remembered having to give him a bath.

Vegeta almost fell off the bike.

"_Twelve!_" He yelled unbelieving.

"Yes. He was a country bumpkin who had been raised by an old man who had died when Goku accidently turned into an Oozaru."

"But _twelve!_ I was defeated by a guy who didn't even know how to give himself a proper bath till he was _twelve!_"

"He couldn't tell the difference between the two different genders either," Bulma said, rolling her eyes, "I don't know how many times I had to knock him upside the head for patting people on the crotch to see if they had a penis or not."

She felt Vegeta rest his head upon her shoulder as he let out a long, pained groan of shame and embarrassment.

"Don't worry, Goku is Goku. He's just stupid. An excellent fighter, but stupider then a rock- okay… maybe he's a little smart than a rock, he can read. (I think) He's not good at teaching things, nor is he too good at figuring things out outside of fighting. That's Chichi's job."

"I can see why she fears her son going off with her husband." Vegeta muttered.

"Yeah." She laughed, "Good times, good memories… the dragon balls always give me great memories."

"Are we close to the first Dragon Ball yet?" Vegeta asked, pulling himself upright again.

Bulma looked at her Dragon Radar that she had installed into the navigator and nodded, "Not too far off. Just hold on a bit longer."

She could tell she had brought his spirits down, so she decided to raise them a bit, "Tell you what, after we get the Dragon Ball, you can drive. Just don't hurt my baby."

Even though she wasn't looking at him, she sensed his smirk. That was something that he had probably wanted to do for hours.

"And _maybe_ I will find you a pair of jeans before we stop for the night," she added with a laugh.

"You _better_ do just that. What the hell were you thinking when you gave these to me?"

"That my mother would be _very_ happy if I had to call her to get you on the bike."

She couldn't help but laugh again when she felt him shiver.

"You _will_ get me those jeans and you had better do so before we take off again." He commanded.

"Sure, sure, your Royal Whyness," Bulma said, slowing her vehicle to a stop, glancing down at the radar, "It should be around here somewhere."

Both of them looked around, searching for a yellow ball with red stars. Bulma was the first to notice them, pointing up near the waterfall she had stopped next to and directed Vegeta's attention to the shrubbery near the falls.

"Look there! Our first Dragon Ball! Hey, 'Geta, go get it and I will look for a new pair of pants for ya."

Vegeta gave out a huff, but floated up to the ball and took it. He was surprised at how small the balls here were compared to the Dragon Balls on Namek. Then again, he mused, one was older and more powerful while the Earth dragon was no doubt much younger and perhaps not as powerful as Porunga.

He slowly floated back down, amused that Bulma already seemed to have a pair of jeans ready for him to take. He liked the durable material. Leather was not too comfortable and he was slowly coming to dislike his former uniform, the thing reminded him too much of his past. If anything he wanted to move on. He wasn't a solder of Frieza, nor was he about to claim himself a warrior of an army he hardly knew _anything_ about.

It would make him look foolish to cling to such an idea of being a member of an army of one. He was content to follow Azel's example and adopt into the culture before him, mixing his culture with it and meeting the woman in the middle.

"Give me those," he snapped, grabbing the pants and flying off to quickly change.

She was still giggling when he returned with the leather pants no where to be found.

"Don't tell me you destroyed them!" She said in mock surprise.

"They will no longer _grace_ this world with their presence." Vegeta said, walking to the bike and hoping on, "Now get on Woman and show me how to turn this infernal thing on."

"Don't be mean to my baby!"

"I will be as mean as I want to, Onna."

"Oh, Princy-kun, you just have to be a tough guy, don't you?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT, ONNA!"

"………Princy-kun."

"ARGH!"

* * *

He knew that it was going to happen. He sighed as he rolled over, listening to her cry. They had called it a day some time ago and Bulma had popped out this small capsule house. It had two bedrooms and enough food to satisfy his stomach.

She had tinkered with some gadgets for a while as he went outside and stretched. Sitting on that motorcycle had made him restless. After a long session of stretching and doing some simple katas to at least keep him in shape, he had come back in for dinner.

Soon, she had excused herself for the night and he followed her example…

And now she was having nightmares again.

He had told her he wouldn't comfort her again, perhaps that was the only reason he was still lying in his own bed, but slowly, his nerves were becoming raw with her pained cries.

He had to hand it to her, she handled it well when she was awake, but not in her dreams that twisted into terrors at the whims of her uncertain mind.

Betrayal was not something that was easy to recover from. Who could you trust when the person who was suppose to be your most trusted one has been lying to you all that time. It was like ripping out an important organ needed by the body and stomping on it.

Bulma was strong, but he had hit her where it hurt. Because she was born the daughter of a rich man, her ability to trust had been hindered. You couldn't trust more than half of those people with anything. She already had trust issues no doubt when she had met the Z-warriors and because of the amazing things she had seen, she probably couldn't go back to sipping tea and talking about stupid pointless things with superficial slut heiresses.

She let out a loud cry, disturbing him of his thoughts. He grumbled as he got up, no longer able to ignore her, and headed into her room. She was tossing about, gasping and whimpering as her eyes shed tears.

He sighed as he scooted her over. The bed was a single, so he needed to figure out how to make it work. He pushed her over, laying down on the bed and pulled her on top of him. This was a bad idea and he knew it, but at the moment, he just wanted her to stop crying.

He held her there, hushing her lightly as he rubbed the back of his free hand up and down her back in a soothing matter. He couldn't believe he had come to this! But he really couldn't withstand her crying.

"Please," He groaned lightly, "Stop crying. Bulma… please stop crying."

It was as if those had been the magic words. Her body calmed and her whimperings became sniffles and soon even those become even breaths.

He just hoped he woke up before her, because then he wouldn't have to explain why he had comforted her_ again_.


	10. Chapter 10

Wow, should be studying for test, instead, prepping next chapter to be read. Okay my duckies! I just want to give you a head's up that I have done a sort of fan art to this story. I was wondering about how Vegeta would have grown up and thought 'How would the sleeping arrangements be like?' So, go to my profile, hit one of the links, and then check out my newest pictures. I will have a link up eventually, but not now.

Well here is the next chapter so I have some sort of happiness reading all your wonderful reviews (It's like crack to me, but only legal)

Love to hear from all of you guys out there. It makes me excited. So I hope to hear from you all!!

**Warning: This chapter contains female humor. That means if you don't like the idea of a woman's menstrual cycle, you won't like Vegeta's confusion to the whole process. I mean, come on, every woman Bulma's age has it!**

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 10

_Nature Calls and Vegeta gets the Worst of it  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ... I wish I did... I really do.**

* * *

"Uh-huh," Bulma nodded, jotting down the instructions that were being given to her through the phone, "Mm-hmm… Yeah… Okay, thanks Dr. Sonata."

She paused for a second, listening to the woman on the other side before giving out a short laugh, casting her glance over to the distraught being.

"No, he won't tell me how it happened, all I know is that he looks like he got in a fight with a couple of porcupines and lost." Bulma said, trying hard not to laugh again, "Yes, I will tell him that. Okay, good-bye."

She hung up the phone before walking over to Vegeta. He had a couple of quills sticking out of his face, looking almost like thick cat whiskers. His right hand had a few dozen and he refused to sit because of the quills that had been lodged in his hind side.

"She said that usually there is a bit of a process to taking these out," Bulma said rather amused, poking at one on his face, "But since you are a Saiyan, I just need a pair of pliers and some sterilizer. She told me to offer you some pain killers, but no alcohol. Apparently your metabolism doesn't work well with the stuff."

He huffed angrily when she had poked at one of the quills on his face, scowling at her the best he could without agitating the quills.

"So are you going to tell me how you got attacked by a bunch of porcupines?" Bulma asked, moving away to get the supplies.

"So you know what those things were?"

"Yeah, they are porcupines. They have quills that they use as a natural defense against predators. Usually carnivores avoid them because they prefer not to get a face-full of those things. So how did you provoke one?"

"That hole that the Dragon Ball was in…" He growled, not moving his facial muscles much so not to irritate the quills, "Apparently they lived there. While I was getting attacked from inside the blasted hole, one of them attacked me from behind."

"Oh," Bulma said, coming back with the needed items, "That must have been a den with babies in it. The mother must have come back right when you were trying to get the ball."

She had fallen over laughing when he had come back earlier in the day with the one star Dragon Ball and a bunch of quills sticking out everywhere. It was just too rare to see something get the jump on Vegeta. They had called it early for the day and she had called Dr. Sonata to see how to remove the things.

"Next time, you can get the Dragon Ball from a hole."

"Alright," Bulma said as she pulled out a syringe, "Do you want some pain killers?"

"No," Vegeta hissed, "They screw with my senses."

"Trust me, you don't want me to pull these out without something to dull the pain. Especially the ones in your butt!" Bulma yelled, placing her hands on her hips while being careful of the syringe she had in one of her hands.

"I don't want it." He said, setting his jaw.

Bulma rolled her eyes as she quickly grabbed her pliers and snagging on of his many quills on his arm and yanked it out.

"Gah!" Vegeta yelped, reeling back and using his unwounded arm to steady himself so he didn't irritate the ones on his hind quarters. "WOMAN!"

"Yeah, I know, it hurt, didn't it," She said rather amused, looking at the bloody quill she held in her pliers, "These little beauties are barbed. A real amazing self-defense mechanism. The longer they are in, the further they dig into the area that they are in. So, it is going to hurt like hell when I take it out of your face and your buttocks."

She could see Vegeta blanch. He could take immense amount of pain when it came to fighting, but he probably didn't like the idea of getting hurt outside a brawl.

"Let me just give you a little sedatives. Enough to make you numb and a little drowsy."

"No."

"Why not?"

"It will dull my senses. I will not risk losing control of anything."

She finally got it. He didn't trust him not to hurt her when she was removing the quills. She blinked a couple of times before grabbing a bottle of sedatives and filling it enough to make him drowsy.

"That is ridiculous, you don't loose control." She said with a great faith in what she had said, "Now, stop being a big baby and come here."

He looked torn at what to do. He was shocked by the amount of trust she had in him, but still fearful at lashing out.

"I am not made of paper and glass, Vegeta, humans are more durable than they seem." She said, taking his right arm and pushing the sedative into his system.

"Now, go lie down on your bed. It will be easier to pull then out."

He made no comment as he did as he was told. He lied down on his stomach, letting his arm hang off the bed and his head rested at the side so the pillow didn't touch the quills.

Bulma waited till the drugs were in his system and then pulled up a chair and pulled his arm into his lap. She took her pliers and began to pull out the quills. He flinched somewhat, but he made no sound or movement otherwise. She pulled each one out, cleaning the wound as soon as she removed the quill and eventually wrapped up the arm with gauze.

She went to work with his face, being quick and only had to yank once, getting the whole thing in one go. Soon that too was done and she was putting a gauze pad on his face.

"Well," She paused as she looked at his rear, "I need to pull the last couple of ones out… but…"

"You are not pulling down my pants to sterilize it. I will do that on my own." Vegeta lightly slurred, he was feeling groggy, but not enough to fall asleep while she was tugging at the quills.

"Can you even get up?" Bulma questioned, pulling a quill from out of his butt.

"I am not a fumbling human. Even when I am only half conscious I can still walk with grace and dignity."

"Vegeta, you got quills in your butt, you don't have any dignity at the moment." Bulma shot back, pulling another one out rather harshly.

Vegeta grunted. He tried to pull away, but she was already pulling out the next one.

"Will you quit it?" He snapped as he began to pull himself up.

"Relax, there are only three more," With that she pulled out another one, correcting herself as she did so. "Two."

"No more, Onna," he snapped, he was losing his patience and wanted to get away from her before she thought of trying to disinfect it for him. That he would never live down.

"One," she said plucking the next one as she grabbed onto his waist to try to keep him from walking away.

All that did was get her dragged out of her seat as she held onto him awkwardly. She managed to find enough balance to hold on though as she pulled out the last one.

"There! All done!"

She felt him grab her by the waist and hoist her to a standing position after pulling her off his person.

"There, you've had your fun, now leave me in peace." He growled as he headed for the bathroom.

"Aw, come on Vegeta!!! I'm only trying to help!" She said with a grin on her face, "Plus, you need the sterilizer to clean up the holes in your rump!"

She turned to get the cleaning gauze and the sterilizer, but they were not where she had left them. She heard the bathroom door close and realized that even thought Vegeta was groggy, he was still as sharp as a razor blade. He had swiped them sometime after getting up.

She would have to remember that.

* * *

Bulma's eyes flickered as she slowly came too. It was still late at night since she could see the stars glow up above. If the moon had been in the sky, then she would have been able to tell the time by the placement, but it had not been wished back since Piccolo had destroyed it years ago.

Something was different then when she had gone to bed. She noticed that as her mind slowly began to pull out of its groggy state. She then realized what was different.

One, she was wet. No, not the aroused kind of wet, but the kind of wet when one was a heavy bleeder. She had forgotten to keep track of her menstrual cycle.

Oh, it had happened before. In fact, Bulma had a nasty habit of locking herself away in her lab and bleed through her pants on many different occasions. Usually she was alone, but there had been a time or two when she had been in the middle of conversing with other scientists. She had even leaked in her own bed before, because she would overflow while she slept…

But this time was different.

Different because of the second thing that had changed from when she had gone to bed.

Sometime after she had fallen asleep, Vegeta must had come into her room, because now she had him snoozing under her with his nose in her long locks and his arms holding her protectively in place.

She was struck dumb when she had realized that he had come in to sleep next to her, but at this moment, she really, really needed to get up before she bled all over the place.

She tried to wriggle out of his hold, but he was holding her in place. He wasn't exactly waking up to her movements either, but she blamed that on the drugs that were probably still lingering in his system if only minutely. Usually, he would be up and aware at the drop of a pin if he sensed any danger. His knack for sensing ill will was second to none.

She sighed as she realized that she was going to have to wake him up in order to go… tend to her cycle.

She managed to roll onto her stomach in his grip and wrench one arm free of his strong, but gentle hold.

"Vegeta," she whispered as she patted his face lightly.

He stirred a little, his nose twitching as he scented the air.

Oh… she had forgotten about his keener senses. No doubt he would smell the-

His eyes snapped open as he pulled himself up gripping her wrist firmly as he looked at her alarmed.

"Onna-"

"I'm fine! I need to use the bathroom," she cut him off, managing to rip her hand out of his hold and dashing to the bathroom before he could get his wits about him.

He was pounding on the door shortly after she had locked it.

He didn't know what was going on. One minute he heard his name, the next, the smell of rich, sweet blood invaded his senses and what had made the smell even more alarming was the fact that it was the woman's.

She had been able to use the small amount of time that he had been in shock from sensing so much blood, that she had managed to get away before he could ask her what was going on. But now, he was worried.

Had he hurt her when they slept? Why was she suddenly drenched in blood? He could smell that she had bled more and it was only making him even more alarmed.

"Onna! Where have you been hurt? Let me in!" He demanded, knowing full well that she would kill him later somehow if he broke this particular door down.

"I'm not hurt," She replied from inside, "I just forgot what week of the month it was."

"Onna! What the hell are you talking about? I can smell the blood on you! Who harmed you?!"

There was a pause before he heard a loud agonized groan, "Please tell me you didn't just say that. I'm fine Vegeta! I swear! Just let me clean myself up and I'll explain it to you when I'm dressed in something clean."

"Woman-"

"Trust me. I would tell you if I was hurt. Now go, I need to take care of this." Her voice sounded reassuring, no fear in it whatsoever.

He took a large gulp of air, tasting the blood in the air as he breathed through his mouth. It was discomforting to think that she had lost that much blood, but he was willing to trust her.

He left her bedroom and paced in the living quarters, like a caged beast pacing back and forth in its cage. He didn't even bother with the lights, he could see in the dark. His chest was clenched tight as he waited the agonizing amount of time for her to get done.

Was she alright? Would she need help? Did she pass out?

He was about to go check on her when he heard the shower stop and rustling of drawers. He calmed a bit, knowing that she was at least conscious.

Soon, she was opening the door and flicked on the lights. Vegeta winced as his eyes adjusted, but soon his eyes roamed up and down her, making sure she was alright. She was wearing a large T-shirt and a pair of gym shorts, but was holding the bloody pair of pjs and her sheets. Her complexion was its normal rosy color and though she still smelled of fresh, sweet, rich blood, she no longer was drenched in the scent. She looked fine, just as she had reassured him she was.

"Darn it, I got some on you," She signed looking down at his pants, "I always make a mess of something."

"Woman, what is going on," he hissed as he looked at her.

Bulma mused that if he was a cat, his hackles would be raised and was ready for a fight. She didn't need him so wound up. She needed to soothe him back to his normal self before they had the 'talk'.

While taking her shower to clean up, she realized that he probably didn't know what was going on with her. She was an alien to him after all and that probably meant he didn't know of the monthly cycles she had. She had come to realize that the times that she had her period when he was living with them were usually weeks that she had been locked away in her lab, or he was busy with his training.

She sighed as she headed towards the closet in the living room, opening it up to reveal a washer and dryer.

"Come on, I need to get these washed before the blood stains. Go change into something else." She said calmly.

It wasn't as if she wasn't use to this… but oh… it was going to be very embarrassing to explain it to Vegeta. She hadn't even been able to muster up the courage to explain it to Goku… Chichi had to tell him.

"Not until you tell me what is going on." He growled, setting his jaw and making it clear that he was going to be stubborn about it.

Bulma sighed as she looked up at the ceiling, giving out a short prayer before turning around.

"Vegeta. How often have you been around women? Any sort of female of any species."

"I was a warrior of Frieza's. He didn't have any women on his ship that I would spend any amount of time with whatsoever."

"And before that?"

"I had only known my mother."

"… You're making this really hard on me Vegeta…" She groaned as she covered her face with her hands, "This… is really embarrassing to talk about to someone your age."

"What are you rambling about, Woman?" Vegeta asked again, his patience dwindling from her constant dodging of the question.

"You do know that woman have babies, right?"

"Yes," he huffed, "That goes along with mating."

"Yes," she emphasized with exasperation, "and do you understand the process of the events that make a baby?"

"Screw a female enough times and she might get pregnant." His face was totally serious.

It made Bulma want to scream. Who had taught him this?

"No, Vegeta… that is not how a baby is made." Bulma groaned loudly as she sat down, "Go change your pants and whatever else I got blood on and I will explain everything to you about why I am bleeding."

"So you are hurt?" Vegeta demanded, his tone was worried.

"NO! GO CHANGE! I WANT TO GET THE FREAKING LAUNDRY GOING BEFORE THE BLOOD SETS IN!" Bulma roared as she finally lost hold of the little patience she had in her current state.

Her mood tended to be a little unpredictable when she was on her cycle. But he wouldn't understand that until after she had the talk to him.

He seemed startled by her explosive temper and decided to do as she asked. He was thoroughly confused to what her bleeding had to do with how babies were made. They seemed to have nothing in common other than her constant insistence to know how much he knew about women!

He knew nothing of women! She was the first one he really had been around other than his mother! He had only been five when she left and after that was raised by his father and then by Nappa, Turles, and Radditz!

What was scarier was the fact that Radditz was a better caretaker than Nappa, who was much older than the both of them! The third-class Saiyan was only five years older then he hovered over him like a worried mother when Vegeta was little! He knew more about these sorts of things, but that was because his mother had taken him and raised him to follow her footsteps. His father was a genius scientist who was obsessed with fighting and rarely was ever stuck in the lab, while his mother had been a healer, rarely leaving her station. Radditz was more like his mother, he was usually the one who ended up doing the patch job or manning the rejuvenation tanks for his Saiya-jin brethren.

He knew about these sorts of things, but Vegeta had always ditched him when he began to get a little too graphic about the anatomy of Saiyanoids. Once the word 'baby' or 'impregnate' came into the conversation, Radditz found himself all alone.

But why was she asking him about these things?!?

He quickly changed, coming back out and dropping the soiled clothes on the table.

"I have done as you asked, now tell me why you are bleeding."

And so, she did.

"Vegeta," Bulma said as she stared at his ruffled state, "Don't hit your head against the table please."

It didn't stop him. He just kept going.

"If you must hit your rock-hard head on something, please use the wall or a rock outside somewhere, but not my table."

"Shut up Onna," he growled, pausing from his pounding to glare at her.

Bulma mused that he was rather startled and bewildered by the images she had put into his head as she explained the current process she was going through. She was slightly embarrassed at the whole thing, but he was taking it out of hand. His composure had been lost some time during the first three sentences, and he had yet to recover any of it.

His face still sported a huge blush. He felt embarrassed no doubt at the lack of knowledge he had had and was embarrassed by her thorough explanations. Vegeta was always a bit of a prude. He lacked any knowledge since his race remained celibate till they mated with their potential mate- making the other their life-mate. But then again, so was she. She just was taught Sex-ED as a little girl. It was something she didn't- couldn't- forget.

"It can't be good for you to be doing that," she said, feeling strangely calm for one who had just explained the bodily functions of a woman.

"It can't harm me. My ki is up… Just… ARGH, those images you placed into my head, Woman!" He groaned as he began to hit his head against the table again.

"So even the great Prince of all Saiyans can be embarrassed," She mused, smirking as she thought of the next order of business, "By the way, what were you doing in my bed? Snuggling me no less?"

There was a pause before Vegeta stood up and headed for the door.

"You are right, Onna. I think I will go find a rock."

"Vegeta!"

He was already gone. Bulma knew there would be no way for her to even remotely find him, so she gave out a huff and went to his bed to sleep. Her sheets were in the washer and she was too lazy to find a new set and actually make the bed.

Plus, it's not like he was going to use it.

* * *

To her amusement, Vegeta showed back up sometime in the morning while she was eating a small breakfast, lounging in her chair. He didn't look at her, only marched into his room, grabbed some clothes, and headed for the shower.

He walked past her on his way to the shower and muttered darkly to her, "So I can't sleep in your bed but you can sleep in mine?"

"No one was occupying your bed." Bulma said as she sipped the coffee.

He gave a growl and slammed the door to the bathroom. Bulma rolled her eyes. It was apparent that something was still bothering him. He looked calmer before he had come back into the house. Then he looked stiff with something.

She groaned as she realized what he was so stiff about. Vegeta could still smell the blood.

"I'm going to make him go crazy if we don't hurry this up," Bulma decided out loud, finishing up her coffee and readying herself for the day.

She dressed quickly, into something travel worthy and sprayed on some light vanilla perfume. She hoped that would help him. By the time she was ready to head out, Vegeta was already outside waiting.

"It's about time, Onna," he huffed, keeping his distance as she capsulated the house.

"Yeah, yeah," Bulma said with a shrug, throwing him the keys, "You drive the bike today. I'll just sit behind you."

He seemed to be grateful for that, since he didn't complain one bit. Yep. He was definitely a prude.

Soon the two of them were on their way to the next location of the Dragon Ball. Bulma thought it almost hilarious as they drove into the city that the mythical item was located in. The World Martial Arts Tournament was about to take place again and they were right in the city that it was located in.

"So, where do you think this blasted ball is?" Vegeta finally asked, when he was paused at a stop light.

Bulma was about to shrug and tell him the hell if she knew, but she paused when a flyer caught her eye.

"It's in the world champion trophy," she said in awe.

"The what? How do you know that?" Vegeta asked her as he looked over his shoulder to glare at her.

"Because its in the flyer, look," she said, pointing to the flyer for the WMAT.

It was a picture of the champion belt, the trophy for the winner of the tournament, used as the centerpiece of the belt.

"That's just great," Vegeta scoffed, "How are we suppose to get that."

Bulma peered down at him with a dark smile on her face that made even Vegeta want to shiver. She had an idea and he knew that he would not like it one bit.

"You enter the World Martial Art Tournament and win." She said, "Simple as that."

"No way. I refuse to fight a bunch of weaklings in some stupid tournament." Vegeta growled, not amused at all at her idea.

"Well then… make it a challenge." Bulma hissed, "Look, buddy, you are the one who wants a wish, so you are going to have to sacrifice something to get the wish."

The light turned green and Vegeta revved the engine of the motorcycle as he continued driving.

"And how do you suppose I could make fighting a bunch of weaklings a challenge?" He sneered.

"You're a fighter. You punch, you kick, you use ki, but how about fighting without using your ki and trying to put on a good show? I mean, yeah, you could knock them out in one punch, but where is the presentation? When Azel was alive she told me that fighting was about three things, strength, skill, and presentation. I've seen your strength; I have seen your skills; but what I usually don't see from you is your presentation. I know you are graceful on your feet, I can see that in the way you walk and move about, but I have never seen you play something up to make it entrancing."

She paused for a moment, noticing that Vegeta was pulling the bike over into a parking lot. She just needed to add the last part and he was as good as hers.

"You are the prince of the most prestigious warriors. Fighters. They must have known how to put a good show on, playing up a battle where they had the upper hand just to get the crowds roaring for them… Your challenge isn't to defeat your opponent as fast as you can, it is to defeat them with so much style that the crowds are roaring for you to win."

She could see he was debating it. Really, truly thinking about whether or not he should participate. So, as one final push, she decided to add the final statement that would no doubt make up his mind.

"Goku always use to get those crowds cheering, year after year after year until he finally won the WMAT. Shame. No one has ever made the crowds scream in excitement like Goku did."

"Onna," Vegeta barked, trying not to snarl at the mention of Goku and this tournament, "Where do I sign up?"

Bulma smiled. It would be fun to watch this. She hoped she could get front row seats to watch Vegeta awe the crowds with his ability to present his strength and skills in a very controlled matter.

She half hoped that Yamcha would be there, just to watch him get the crap beaten out of him in the ring.

"Let me drive your Majesty, I'll get you there in no time."

"This might be fun Woman," Vegeta laughed viciously.

"Oh, I hope so. I haven't seen a good show in years."

"Then I will definitely give you one you can never forget."


	11. Chapter 11

Okay,

I need to get some things straight with some of my reviewers. This is a story that is not based on lust or anything of that sort. This is rated T and will not be changed at all. I do not read lemons, I do not write lemons. There will be no lemons. I might lead up to one, but I will not write one. There are innocent minds that still wander the site and I do not one them foolishly reading something that will steal that innocents. Call me old fashion, but I think good romance stories are not about the lemons, but the trust, friendship, and love they have for each other.

If you want a story with lust or lemons, I can recommend about a couple dozen good ones that have such things in them, but I will not write one.

I am sorry, but that is just how it is going to be.

I really do like writing this story though so I am going to update early since I lectured at you all.

The questions about the plot line will be answered in time. Do not worry about that.

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 11

_World Martial Arts Tournament  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ... I wish I did... I really do.**

* * *

He was stoked! Here he was at the WMAT for the first time without having to compete with Goku. Last time he had been here was during the 94th World Tournament. He had watched his best friend fight Piccolo and win, then, right after his victory, sail off into the sky with his new fiancé.

So now, after so many years, it was _his_ turn to be World Champion.

"Hello sir," the monk at the door said, looking at him with a kind smile, "Are you going to be competing today?"

"Yes sir, I am," He said, a smile on his face.

Oh it was wonderful to get the glory for once and not just be one of the finalists for a change. He was going to be World Champion for once.

"Oh, good, what is your name so I can enter it in," The monk said, ready to write the name down in the registrar.

He was about to say his name when someone else called out to him.

"Krillin?"

Krillin turned to see Bulma waving over at him with a happy go lucky grin on her face. He waved hi, quickly giving his name to the monk, who nodded and wrote it down, and headed over to the blue haired genius.

"Bulma! Long time no see!" He greeted her with a huge grin, "Are you here to watch the WMAT?"

"Yeah! I was in town so I thought I would watch the festivities as well. That and if you noticed, there is a Dragon Ball attached to the trophy belt."

"Really!" Krillin yelped, surprised, "I didn't know that! Oh boy! I guess then I will have to make sure to get it for you!"

Bulma's grin slowly slipped off her face as she looked at him with horror.

"You…. Intend…. To compete?" She asked a little horrified at the idea.

"Yeah, with everyone busy training I thought it would be a good way to test my skills… I hope maybe one of the others joins too, just so it isn't too unfair to the masses. I asked Yamcha, so maybe he'll be here. Did you come with him?"

"NO!" Bulma roared, her face going from unusually horrified to pure fury, "I wouldn't touch that guy with a hundred foot pole! That jerk! I hope he does come! Just so I can watch him get the snot beat out of him!"

"Whoa, Bulma, I know you and Yamcha have your ups and downs… but I'm not going to beat him up just because you ask me too." Krillin said, waving his hands out in front of him defensively.

"I'm not talking about you," Bulma said with a roll of her eyes, "Why do you think I was in town? I'm Dragon Ball hunting."

"So… that means… what exactly?" Krillin asked, his stomach already sinking as he felt a sense of dread come over him.

"It means, I already had someone to enter the tournament. In fact, he was the one who told me you were here. I've been enjoying the festivities while we waited for the tournament to start."

"Who…who…who did you get to enter?" Krillin at this point felt like crying if she mentioned Goku's or Gohan's or even Piccolo's name.

He would never win now.

"Hmm? Oh, well, that's going to be a surprise," She said with a smug look, then her expression turned sour again, "If you see Yamcha, you best warn him to watch his traitorous back."

With that she turned around and marched away, leaving Krillin gapping at her form as it disappeared into the crowd again.

"Hey Krillin," He heard someone else yell out to him.

He turned to see Yamcha waving at him as he jogged towards the smaller man.

"Thanks for giving me the heads up on the tournament! I have waited years to not have Goku in one of these competitions! Now without having any aliens competing I can feel it is going to be a fair fight!"

"Uh… Yamcha… did you do something to Bulma?"

"Not recently, though she did find out I was seeing a few girls behind her back while we had been dating… She was kind of upset. I tried to see her, but her mom said that she went off somewhere. Why do you ask?"

"I just saw her," Krillin shivered, "And she's more than a little upset. Apparently she's gathering the Dragon Balls already and the WMAT's champion belt has a Dragon Ball in it, so she got someone to compete."

"Ah, man," Yamcha groaned as he hit his hand to his head and threw back his head, "That must mean that she got Goku or Gohan involved! Man this sucks! I hate being trumped by a nine year old!"

"Tell me about it," Krillin sighed, "But she didn't tell me who, she just smiled and told me to tell you to watch your back… I wonder who she got."

"The hell if I know, but… you know… I don't think I saw any trace of Vegeta while I was at Capsule Corp… do you think?"

Both fighters looked at each other before shaking their heads and dismissing the thought.

"Nah," both said before turning around and heading out for a good time.

* * *

"Onna, why did you get us separate rooms?" Vegeta questioned, looking at his door that as adjacent to hers.

"Why? Because you are a man and I am a _wo_man. I am not about to share a hotel room with you. Especially if the media finds out I am here." Bulma said as she pushed her card in and waited till it accepted her with a flashing green light.

"Plus, you've been avoiding me all day. I thought that you would be happy to get away from me." Bulma said with a shrug.

"I have not been avoiding you," Vegeta growled, "I do not do well with crowds of people, Onna."

Bulma blinked. He hated crowds. So did she, but she realized that his was more founded than her blatant dislike of people. There were so many things there that he had probably been overwhelmed by the smell and sounds and tastes that were in the air must have made him ready to pass out from it all.

"How are you feeling? It must have been like a total sensory overload. Do you think that you'll be able to compete with that going around in the background?" Bulma questioned him.

He glared at the door in front of him before he used his key and unlocked it, "I'll get over it." And with that he headed inside.

Bulma smiled as she entered her room. Shutting the door and walking into the room a bit. She spotted what she was looking for and opened the door in the wall, knocking on the door that was behind it.

Vegeta opened the door with a scowl.

"You could have told me they connected, Onna."

"And where is the fun in that?" She asked with a giggle, "Come on, let's pick out something for you to wear tomorrow."

"Is what I am wearing not appropriate? I am not a child, Woman, I can dress myself."

"I know you can," she said as she took his hand and gently tugged him further into her room, happy as he complied, "But this is special. Usually, people wear a gi or something that represents who trained them. Roshi's colors are orange and blue with usually the words 'Kame' on them. I thought that we would need something special."

"I can see where you are coming from, but I do not think that will be appropriate. I had no teacher to learn from like Kakarrott."

"Yes, so while you were busy trying not to pass out while walking around with me, I ordered something for you. It should be here by the morning, but till then, let's pick out something from your clothes for you to fight in."

With a huff, Vegeta relented.

They had decided on a white gi. However, instead of just wearing the gi alone, they would go for a more Aikidogi look, adding a dark navy blue hakama over the pants to make him have a more Japanese background, like Bulma, than a Chinese background, like Chichi. Bulma could only agree with his short stature, wiry dark hair, and black eyes, he fit in well with her people traditional-wise, more so than she did.

"So, why am I wearing a hakama again?"

"It makes the presentation look more interesting," Bulma said as she set the outfit out, "It gives you the appearance of flowing movements. Or so I think. Trust me, no one will look like you."

"Obviously." Vegeta scoffed, "At least I won't look like the bald one or the scarred one. I don't want to associate with either of them."

"Wait," Bulma yelped, spinning around to look at him fully, "_Yamcha_ really is here?"

"Yeah, so?" Vegeta asked, raising a brow, "If it had not been for you wanting to _'surprise'_ your friends with me participating in this event, I wouldn't have been keeping my ki as low as possible."

"Alright," Bulma breathed, "But promise me one thing, Vegeta."

"What now Woman?"

"If, no, when you do end up fighting him; humiliate him for everything he's done. I don't know all he's done, but you seem to be able to get a good whiff of what he does do. Make it so he can't show his face in public for a while without making him unrecognizable."

Vegeta chuckled lowly, "That is one promise I don't even dread. I will enjoy it to no end… Onna."

"Thanks Vegeta," Bulma said with a downcast look, "I know I'm a bother, but thanks."

"If you were a bother, I would not be able to even tolerate you. That much I can do, Woman, tolerate you and that big mouth of yours," Vegeta teased in his normal antagonizing tone.

She was about to yell at him for saying she had a big mouth, but her words got lost when he quickly leaned forward, giving her a slow kiss on her forehead before wordlessly heading into his room.

"… Good night…" Bulma said to no one as she slowly processed what had just happened.

_Good night, my prince,_ she thought to herself before smiling happily and heading off to get ready for bed. Tomorrow was not a day that was to be forgotten any time soon.

* * *

Early morning had all the competitors prepping for the fight. Yamcha and Krillin scoped out the area, trying hard to hide the smug looks on their faces.

"Man, I almost feel bad for them," Yamcha said with a light laugh, "You are my only real competition Krillin."

"Yeah, I hate to say it, but we are definitely the only two going to give the crowd _any_ sort of display of power." Krillin said with a chuckle, shaking his head slowly.

"This is a tournament boys, it is not about how much power you have, it is about how well you can show horse." A voice said from behind them.

Both turned to see a small figure well hidden in an outfit. From head to toe, the figure was covered, but one could tell by the voice that is was a female. She was taller than Krillin, but much, much shorter than Yamcha.

"What did you say?" Yamcha asked, slightly in disbelief.

"I said it is not about power, the ability to destroy your opponent as _quickly_ as possible, it is to show horse." She said again.

"Show horse? What's that?" Yamcha asked, cocking his head in confusion.

"Show horsing is when you are more concerned with the presentation of your skills and power over the ability to _defeat_ your enemy. Getting the crowds to get so riled up that they can't help but _scream_ your name and acknowledge your abilities." She explained.

"Oh, well," Yamcha said with a laugh, patting her on her shoulder as a way to console her, "I bet that's nice and all, but a little lady like yourself shouldn't get all excited, this tournament is practically set in stone."

"I wouldn't be too sure. No one can control the waves in the ocean or the patterns of the wind. Just like that, no one can control what outcome is to come." She said with a shrug before continuing on.

Krillin wasn't sure, but he thought that he heard her breath the word 'twit' underneath her breath.

The people were called inside and the preliminaries began. Krillin and Yamcha made it with ease. All their opponents were easy pickings. Soon, they were waiting for the winners to be rounded up so the finalists could compete in public.

"So I wonder where Bulma's fighter is," Yamcha asked, surveying the area and trying to pick up a ki energy.

"Whoever it is seems to want to keep it a surprise, I can't read any familiar ki. Oh boy, she could of talked Goku into it!"

"Nah, Goku would have been noticeable. He's taller than most people." Yamcha dismissed.

"Tien?"

"She isn't on good terms with Tien."

"So that rules out Choatzu. How about Piccolo?"

"Again, she's more scared of him. She wouldn't ask him."

"Maybe Gohan?"

"It is the only obvious answer. I mean who else could it be?" Yamcha asked, looking down at the monk with a confused look.

"I see that your deduction skills are even worse than your power levels. You people disgust me." A familiar gruff voice said from behind them.

Both swung around to see who had spoken.

"Ve-Vegeta!?!?!" Both Z-fighters gawked.

They were shell shocked. Here was the very _last_ guy they would have ever thought. He was leaning against the wall next to the exit, arms crossed like usual, and in a white gi and dark navy hakama he was wearing wraps on his hands and feet instead of his usual boots and gloves. Upon his chest, over his heart, was a crest. It was simple, but to the point. It was the kanji for Oozaru.

She had surprised him with it when she came hopping into his room early morning while he was still catching up on staying up so late to watch her sleep. She pounced on him, fully trusting his reflexes would not harm her as she sat on his hip bone, straddling him no less, and practically bouncing up and down as she showed him the crest.

She looked like a little child showing her first kill to her parents after disfiguring the poor creature that had been unfortunate enough to killed by an inexperienced child.

He had been actually deeply moved by the crest. It was something that explained his people real well without saying much. It was their pride, their joy, their legacy: the Oozaru. Not ever to be forgotten by those who had seen the beastly form.

But the sentiment didn't last long, because he needed to get her off of him before she aroused him any further. He was lucky that he had been sleeping on his side though than his usual preference to sleeping on his stomach. No doubt she would have aroused him more by unintentionally rubbing against his stub tail.

But the patch was welcomed and was placed upon his gi, just as another testament to her knowing him and his ways very well.

"It took you two long enough. I have known you were here the whole time. You only just now noticed me? Pathetic." He scoffed, jerking his head to the side to show his distain.

"But… how did she talk you _into _it?" Yamcha whined, his legs feeling like jello as he stared at the man who could easily rip him into two.

"She didn't have to. Fighting is in the blood of Saiyans. We live for the fight. Even with as many simpletons as this, there is still something to challenge myself with." Vegeta said with confidence.

These two bozos would never_ ever_ learn that she had used her persuasive ways to convince him to enter. He knew he lacked the ability to actually present his skills and power like she had described, so now he was here to teach himself how to do just that.

"Oh? And what's that?" Yamcha snapped, not being able to keep his temper from rising every time he saw this guy.

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know." Vegeta said with a feral grin.

"All preliminaries are completed. May all the finalist come to the front and follow me to get ready for the finals." A monk said, ushering the ones who had won to the waiting area.

"Come on, fools, I wouldn't want my entertainment to run away." Vegeta laughed darkly as he grabbed both of them by the back of their gis and dragged them to the entrance.

"Aw man," Krillin whined, "For _once_ I would like to be the one who stands a chance. My luck sucks…"

"Get over it Baldy."

* * *

The few people that had qualified all stood in a line. Ready to take a number to see the order of the fights.

"Maybe we will get lucky and have to fight him last," Yamcha whispered over to Krillin when Vegeta when up first to get his number.

"Alright, Mr. Vegeta has number 8!" The familiar blonde haired announcer said as he wrote Vegeta's name on the chart.

"Well I guess I will test my luck," said the cowl-covered female, pushing forward and put her hand in.

"Miss Ze-az had gotten number 1!" The announcer stated, pausing for a second, "How do you spell that?"

She laughed lightly as she took the brush from his hand and jotted down her name.

"There you go, I know, it is a hard name and it isn't even my full name. It is _quite_ the mouthful." Ze-az said, patting him on the back, "I hope that there is a lot of competition. I want that crowd roaring my name!"

"Alright," the announcer said with a cheerful laugh, "I'll make sure to get your name right so they can cheer. Next!"

Slowly, one by one everyone went up to get their number. Soon only it was Yamcha's turn. He held his breath as he went up, begging for some kind of reprise from the cruel fate that was coming.

He put his hand in, holding his breath as he did so, and pulled out one of the remaining numbers.

Karma was definitely after him.

"Mr. Yamcha has pulled out number 7!" The blonde announcer said, writing down his name, "And that means that Mr. Krillin is number three. Alright, let us begin!"

"Ze-az and Salami, Krillin against PepperJack, Cream against Cheese, and finally Yamcha against Vegeta in that order."

"I will enjoy defeating you in public," Vegeta sneered.

With that he walked away, readying himself to watch the first battle. This Ze-az figure was interesting. She was covered head to toe, but for some strange reason she seemed familiar. She took a large, audible breath right before she went out, chanting a mantra before heading out with the fighter Salami.

With that, she straightened her poise and held herself as regally as Vegeta had ever seen. The crowds when crazy when the little woman and the large male fighter stepped into the rink.

The announcer announced their names, making sure to keep his promise about pronouncing her name just right.

She was charismatic in her way of addressing the crowd with a friendly jester before turning serious and looked at her opponent. Both bowed before beginning.

Vegeta had never seen what his people had once called a _Aliiskar-Ja_. It translated roughly to the phrase show horse. But he was pretty sure this little thing could qualify as one. As Bulma had stated, there was a form of presentation that had to be executed to qualify as an arena fighter. An _Aliiskar-Ja_ was one that was there to fight and show off in the most elegant manner possible against others.

There would be a tournament for the female Saiyans every time a new king was to be named. The best female _Aliiskar-Ja_- the one who would get the crowds roaring with excitement with her quick wit and ability to perform- would be renamed _Vegiit_, Queen of all Saiyans and mate of _Vegeta_, King of all Saiyans.

However, it felt as if he was actually watching a real _Aliiskar-Ja_. As she faced off against this Salami fellow, it was immediately apparent to Vegeta that she was much more skilled and powerful than her opponent, but she didn't just knock him out with one amazing blow, she practically danced out there, missing all his punches and kicks, making it seem like one fluid dance as she moved about him, only throwing what he dished out right back at him.

By watching _her_, he was finally able to understand and admire what the _Aliiskar-Ja_ were. He had been too young to ever see an _Aliiskar Qute-na_- a Show Horse Tournament. Now he just had to do as she did.

The fight- if one could even call it that- lasted until the crowd was at their climax of excitement. Once she as sure they couldn't get any more excited, she ended the battle by taking victory. The crowds were screaming so loud that his ears felt like they were ringing.

After her, Krillin and PepperJack were up.

She came trotting right back, happy as a clam.

"Good luck," She said to Krillin, patting him on the back, "I would love to have a chance to test my mirth against someone of your… caliber."

Some strange reason Krillin didn't know if she was being nice or cruel.

Krillin fought fast, not allowing the crowd to get as excited as they had with Ze-az. Cream creamed Cheese. And the moment that Yamcha dreaded came next.

"Next is Yamcha, another returning competitor, against Vegeta, a new face to the tournament world, but no rookie. Give them a round of applause."

Vegeta didn't say anything once he was on the stage. He hadn't done anything that the female had done before she entered the scene, and now he knew why she had done it. The crowd was large and loud, unnerving even to him. But then again he was not a crowd person. A thousand different kis hit him, a thousand scents and sounds hitting his senses. It was almost overwhelming, but he refused to let anyone see it.

He bowed, being as graceful as he could and waited. He let Yamcha have the first move, giving himself some time to recover. He put himself on auto-pilot for a few minutes to prepare himself properly.

_You can do it Vegeta. Just concentrate._ He heard Bulma's thoughts enter his mind, _Wipe the floor with him._

Vegeta smirked, able to finally compose himself as he dodged a Wolf-Fang Fist. _I will do more than just that, Onna. Remember I did promise to humiliate him._

He heard her laugh before pulling her thoughts out of his mind.

"Are you just going to _dodge_ all day Vegeta, or are you going to fight?" Yamcha asked, his nerves already on edge.

"Oh, no, I intent to humiliate you for every sinful act against the woman I can smell on you and then some, just in case."

That had been whispered low enough that no one but Yamcha could hear. It had freaked out the ex-desert bandit. And yet he couldn't understand why Vegeta would care.

"Wh-why do you care anyways?"

"Because, such traitorous behavior is not acceptable. My people tortured scum like you till they killed themselves. Feel lucky she's only asked of me to humiliate you." With that he chuckled darkly before turning on the heat.

Yamcha's stomach dropped as he watched Vegeta pull himself to full height and began the show.

* * *

"I knew we had no chance with Vegeta, but _come on!_ I had to lose to someone who had a cowl over her head and not a single amount of skin exposed!" Krillin whined.

"At least _you_ didn't have the whole _crowd laughing_ at you." Yamcha groaned as he tried to slowly sit down, "He got me to practically kick _myself_ in the balls along with so many _other_ things. How the hell did he do it? I don't know, I just want to go and hide for months, maybe years."

"It was suppose to be easy!!!" Krillin whined.

"Grow up you two," Ze-az said with a laugh, "Nothing is easy."

"Says you," Yamcha pouted, "You haven't fought the crazy idiot! He's still leading Cream around by the nose!"

The crowd let out a loud roar of excitement as the fight progressed at that moment.

"Tsk, Tsk, you judge by appearances. I am not to be trifled with. I know my way around an arena. I have been doing this longer than he has even been born." Ze-az said with a melodious laugh.

"Winner!!! Vegeta!" The announcer shouted with a excited scream.

The crowd screamed loudly as he stated the winner.

"We will be taking an hour break, then we will return to our final fight! Until then, enjoy the concession stands and don't forget to buy a souvenir for today's event!"

Ze-az turned from her spot to watch as Vegeta entered the waiting area, with Cream limping behind him with as much dignity as the fighter could muster. She clapped her hands as she held them in a more upper class way.

"Brava," She said with a smug tone, "You were marvelous."

He allowed the compliment, nodding his head regal like as he stared down at this magnificent fighter.

"My people had a name for people like yourself. It is _Aliiskar-Ja_ it means basically a show horse, a fighter that performs their skill and strength in such a way that you get the crowds excited."

"I know, I was a very important _Aliiskar-Ja _fighter," she laughed, pulling her cowl off of her head and exposing her familiar raven hair and onyx eyes, "It has been a while Vegeta, my prince. Tell me, how is my Bulma?"

"Wait a minute," Yamcha jumped up, wincing as he did, "You _know_ him? And more importantly you know _Bulma_?!"

Vegeta was caught up in his own surprise, "You! How did you come to be a competitor? I thought King Yemma kept you busy!"

"Not so many questions directed at me at once please," the raven head said with a roll of her eyes, pulling off her extra clothing till she was wearing nothing but black boots, black slacks, a black tank-top and a huge baggy white short-sleeve shirt handing off her left shoulder, "Honestly, I am only one woman no matter who thinks otherwise."

"I thought you were busy with HFIL," Vegeta said again, looking down at her, "Did you not say that you worked for King Yemma? And what is with your fake name?"

"Ze-az is not fake! It is just a shortened version of my full _first_ name. As for King Yemma, I made him a little bet and he lost. I work for him, he has to pay me some way, so I ask for time in the living realm. I am here for a reason, so don't get yourself all tied in a knot."

"Who _are_ you?" Yamcha yelled again when he was being ignored.

Ze-Azel rolled her eyes as she set her eyes on him with a hard glare, "I could never understand why she was fascinated with such a wimpy twit. I should be at least grateful she doesn't date you anymore."

Those words struck familiarity with Yamcha. Twit. Only one person ever took a fancy to calling him that. Only one person who knew Bulma like the back of her hand. It took only a couple of moments to connect the fact that she was apparently not alive into the mix to get his answer.

"AZEL!?!" He yelled, rearing backwards in fear, "You can't be! You should be dead! You shouldn't look… this… this… Good!"

"Ah, but you said it, I am dead. I can look as good as I want. In fact, I will tell you this now, Frieza looks just as he did before he became a mechanical mess. I was allowed to be returned to my previous looks as well."

"How do you know Vegeta?!"

"Well, that is kind of personal," Azel said as she placed her hands on her hips, "But its hard not to recognize your own prince."

"You're a Saiyan!!!" Krillin yelped as he jumped to his feet, readying for a fight.

"Yes, but I am a dead Saiyan only here for _one_ tournament." She said with a huff, "Rules of the big guy up there. If it were me, I would be allowed to at least haunt _you-" _She threw a heated look at Yamcha. "-a little longer, but alas, I have something I need to do, so I can't."

She gave a shrug before turning to Vegeta, "You picked up show horsing quite fast. I am impressed."

"I am a Saiya-jin. It is in my blood."

"True, we were the ultimate fighters, especially when it came to being _Aliiskar-Ja_. But, unfortunately, I think after so many years of fighting we forgot that there are two types of battles." Azel said with a shrug.

"And those would be?" Vegeta asked, crossing his arms and raising a brow.

She held up one finger as she began, "One, is the usual type that Saiya-jins participated in for centuries: _Aliiskar._ We fought for the pure sport of it, battling to show our greatness to the rest of the universe." She held up a second finger, "The second is a fight for survival. There is nothing about presentation there. It is about eliminating the threat as quickly and as swiftly as possible. You do not show off your power, you are just there to eliminate the threat and move back into _Aliiskar. _Many had forgotten that over time and that was no doubt the Saiya-jin empire's downfall."

"Wow, talk about being harsh," Krillin whispered over to Yamcha as they watched the smaller woman lecture the temperamental brute of a Saiyan, "How long do you think she can lecture him before he kills her?"

"I don't think he would kill her," Yamcha whispered back, "One, because she is already dead, and two, he doesn't look all that ticked. If anything… he looks like he's listening to what she just said. Azel has always had that effect on people."

"So… you know her?"

"Yeah. That is Azel, you know, Bulma's mentor? You met her once I think. She had all those horri- erm- burn scars down the right side of her."

"_Her_? Wow, she's looks really good for being dead. I wonder if she would be willing to give me a couple tips."

"_Krillin!!_"

"What?!?! I can't help it! I need to try to survive the androids too, you know!"

"Quiet down," Vegeta barked, turning his attention away from the raven head, "I am trying to have a conversation here and it does not work when two idiots are talking in the background."

"S-s-sorry Vegeta," Krillin whispered as he backed away.

Vegeta hmphed before returning his attention to Azel.

"So why are you here?"

"That, is a secret." She said with a smug smile on her face, "You are just going to have to figure it out on your own, _later_, my prince."

"As stubborn as the last time I met you. Well, are you going to rush off and find the Onna?" Vegeta asked, readying to pull away from the conversation so she could spend some time with the blue haired minx.

"No, I am not allowed. Against the rules that allowed me here. But I could always send her a message through you."

_"Then speak your words,"_ Vegeta said, slipping into Saiya-jin so that the two moronic Z-fighters could not understand, _"But in return I have some questions for you as well._"

_"Ah, don't you always? Your quiet hunger for learning has always been legend among your people, my prince. Just like your mother. Speak, I shall answer. Then I will request you to give a message to Bulma."_ Azel said.

Vegeta grinned, unknowingly sending chills down both Yamcha's and Krillin's spines. But what looked evil and malicious to them, was just him being rather excited about the prospect of getting _more_ information for the questions that had accumulated over the period of time since his last talk with Azel. She was almost bottom-less in her knowledge.

He had meditated the night before, watching Bulma sleep as he did so just incase she cried out. She didn't. His mind had been filled with Bulma as of late. He couldn't get her off of his mind. She attracted him to no end and with her current bleeding… Ugh! It wasn't even possible to ignore her presence. She was his equal on so many levels and superior to him on others, like he was to her. They evened each other out so well that he just couldn't understand what he was feeling for her. Just when he thought he had her pinned, she did something that made him second guess himself.

_No one_ made him second guess himself, not even Kakarrott. He was stupid, but strong, end of story.

He knew that eventually he _might_ have to come down this certain road and he wanted to not be unprepared. He would not leap into things blindly, he had learned to think of all possibilities during his stay here, even the most ridiculous of possibilities just because it could be _possible_. So he was willing to lower his guard to this _one_ female because of the amount of trust the woman put in her. She was his encyclopedia and cross reference to all things both human and Saiyan.

_"I request to know about the mating ritual of Earth."_


	12. Chapter 12

Okay,

Here is the next chapter since I am celebrating the first 100 reviews and over 5,000 hits!!! (Parades about) I am so glad you guys are enjoying this story. Please, I love hearing what you have to say! I really do take it into considerations even though I am currently writing chapter 18, I really do like going back and fixing things you've noticed.

Spelling errors other mistakes will be edited once I finish writing the story. I have one goal at the moment and that is just finishing a story. This one feels like the one! I did re-edit this one because Syve was king enough to point out my oopsies and give me advice on how to fix them!

So without further ado:

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_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 12

_They what?  


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_

**Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ... I wish I did... I really do.**

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Bulma was standing in the crowd, with a huge sun hat on her head, hiding her blue hair so no one would recognize her. It was the beginning of Autumn, but today, here in the city where the tournament partook, it was like summer. She had decided to dress according to the heat.

Wearing aqua laced sandals and a white sun dress, she looked ready for the summer time. She hadn't moved far since she had liked her spot, but she had managed to push to the front of the crowd to watch.

So far, Vegeta had been amazing. It had surprised her to see him move like a feline, dodging blows and throwing attacks meant for him right back into his opponent's face. Or the dangly bits in Yamcha's case. The referee couldn't call Vegeta on it since Yamcha, in fact, had kicked himself. She had been so surprised how easily Vegeta had gotten the crowd on his side. Well within fifteen minutes they had been chanting his name while things had gotten… "intense" for the crowd. Vegeta hadn't used his ki once. It was all his own strength and skill.

However, what had surprised her was how easily Krillin had gone down. That mystery fighter had him on his toes the whole time and she had led him through the whole fight until she had the crowd as excited as they could be, and then ended it to get them to hit their climax.

_Onna_, Vegeta's voice penetrated her thoughts, making her snap out of her musings.

_Yeah?_ She replied, looking around to see if he was visible.

_I have a message for you from our little Ze-az fighter._

Bulma blinked, _Ze-az? The woman you're fighting next? Do I know her?_

_Yes, but unfortunately, the rules that allowed her here do not allow her to talk to you. You can see her, but not touch, talk, or be near her. However, they seemed to have left out her sending a message through me._

Bulma blinked again as she shrugged, _Okay, what's up?_

_… She says that she knows you are going to be mad at her when this is over, but she had something she needed to do… Ugh. She says the next thing is private, so she needs to write it down. I'll give it to you at the end of the tournament. Such a pain._

_Whatever. Do I know her? Why would I be mad at her? Vegeta?_ Bulma questioned, noticing how his mind pulled away.

She rolled her eyes. That was so like him to just withdraw when he felt like it. She couldn't prod him anymore about it either because the last match was about to begin. It made her a little nervous, like every time he fought. Yamcha was no longer under Vegeta's watchful eye and now he might try to talk to her. That was something she wasn't ready for yet.

Sending threats to him via someone else was fine, but her heart broke when she saw him. It hurt to think back on all those great times she had had with him and think that it all had been a huge lie. He had made a fool out of her and didn't even care enough to pick up the pieces of her heart, instead he had acted as if he hadn't purposely dropped and shattered her heart the whole time. It only ached now that it wasn't numbed by the drug called ignorance.

"Alright! Ladies and Gentlemen, people of all ages! The fight we've been waiting for has arrived! From fight number 1, to fight number 4 these two took from the opposite sides of the ladder and made their way to the finals! Please give a round of applause as both Ze-az and Vegeta come out!!" The announcer yelled with great enthusiasm as he pointed to the crowd.

The screams were mind numbing, even to her. She wondered how Vegeta was handling the sound.

He came out first, calm and collect looking as always, but she could tell the sounds were hurting him. She could see a lot of things that were not usually noticeable about him, like right now, he was extremely nervous.

She pondered why for all of twelve seconds. That was when the mystery fighter came out, and boy, she wasn't a mystery to _her_ anymore.

"Azel…" She whispered to herself as her eyes widened with shock and her heart hammering in her chest.

What was she doing here? Vegeta's message suddenly made sense. But still… She was supposedly batting Frieza and his minions around like nothing. Vegeta couldn't do that. Even he knew it. That was why he was nervous. She could probably beat him six ways silly and make it all look like a game of cat and mouse. Azel was that kind of person. She toyed with people.

When she had been Bulma's guard, she had defended her on several instances. Each time, she played with her opponent. She played them into her hands and then just when they thought they had the upper hand, would beat the living hell out of them.

It wasn't until she became employed by her father as one of his scientists did she stop her toying. She was all serious then.

But Bulma could remember how she toyed with people. It was burned into her memory. That was her way of getting the upper hand. Krillin had fallen for it and Vegeta no doubt knew that his pride might cause him the same downfall.

_You can do it Vegeta_, Bulma encouraged as she held onto the wall that separated the front row from the stadium, _I know she's powerful, but she toys with her opponent first, like a cat with a mouse. I know you can do it… just be careful. I'm cheering for you!_

She instantly saw his nervousness shrink as he prepped himself. She could see his eyes flicker in her direction as he gave her a quick nod.

What she didn't know was his heart was hammering in his chest over what she had said. She had picked him to cheer for. She could have picked her mentor, but instead she had chosen him to cheer for and encourage. It took everything within him not to shake with excitement.

So, she liked to play cat and mouse? She looked like the kind who enjoyed batting around her opponent. Her smile that was plastered on her face and the gleam in her eyes only told Vegeta how well she played the cat part. She was like a feline with a catnip ball, high with excitement at the prospect of a new toy.

Only problem was, he was the new toy.

He knew a few things from watching her. She liked putting on a good show and she ended the fight the moment she knew the crowd had hit their climax. As long as he knew that she was still toying with him, he had a chance of winning. The only thing was, he would  
have to try to be just as entertaining as she while keeping his guard up. It wasn't an easy ordeal, nor was fighting an _experienced Aliiskar-Ja_ going to be a stroll through the park. Any hit he made was going to be won through lots of pain and hard work. But he would have it no other way. The road to real victory was never supposed to be easy.

They bowed, waiting for the other to make the first move. Both on their toes and ready for the first strike. It looked as though Az was going to make the first move. She pranced forward with practiced ease, making false openings in her guard. They were there to entice him into attacking. Vegeta refused to fall for it. Instead he readied his guard as he began the roughest fight he had ever had.

Blows were exchanged over the course of two hours. Each time he could hear the crowds roar with excitement as the two held up against each other. Vegeta cursed how easily she read through his defenses. He had played the defensive role the whole time as she continually hit him with some of the most remarkable combos. When they were done with whatever the hell this was, he was not going to get up for anything until he was sure that he didn't have to wince each time he moved a muscle even a nanometer.

Finally, after half an hour more, she had caught him. She had grabbed his arms, pinning them behind him as she herself situated herself on his back, using her legs to hold onto him. He could struggle all he wanted and he couldn't remove her. He could feel that tail that she kept well hidden pull at on one of his legs, falling him.

He couldn't move. He could roll side to side, but otherwise he was going to wait till he passed out from exhaustion or until she knocked him out with some trick.

He wasn't going to use his ki. No, she had yet used her ki, so he was not about to bring that into the whole equation. He was only furious that she had bested him when he thought he was at least stronger than her. But she easily held him in place.

"Giving up so soon, my prince?" She whispered in his ear as she panted, "I can hear the crowds screaming up a storm, it is time to finish this."

He growled. He would not let her win! She was not allowed to win. He needed that Dragon Ball to make that wish! He needed to prove to the woman that he could protect her. He needed something to pull her off! His arms were immobile, but he could feel her legs move, straddling him instead of locked around his chest. She was readying to either throw him out of the ring or knock him out.

He struggled more, trying anything to break from her hold. He needed to surprise her with something that could take her off guard just enough to throw her out. He could hear the crowds screaming. She was going to end it soon.

With so much pressure building up inside him he could feel something about this moment snap within him.

It was total reflex that had been placed within him after years and years of practice that had saved him from defeat at that moment. He didn't even realize it till she had been pulled off of him and thrown into the wall the crowds circled around.

He had won. He had won, not because of anything but an old reflex he had. He slowly stood. Trying hard not to let the fatigue show as he slowly brushed himself off.

He could hear her voice ring in his head. What she had said earlier about being here.

_"That, is a secret." She said with a smug smile on her face, "You are just going to have to figure it out on your own, later, my prince."_

Oh, he had figure it out. She was there to help him. To help him regain something that she must have thought important for him to have.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!!! Ze-az has been thrown from the ring. Vegeta wins by a tail!" The blonde announcer yelled, making the crowds cheer louder.

The man wasn't lying. Vegeta withheld the chuckle of irony. His tail swished behind him in a pleased manner. She had pushed him to his absolute limit and instigated the regeneration of his tail. The sly devil. She knew all along.

"The last time we had a competitor grow a tail right in the middle of the battle was Goku! No doubt this man is from the same race as Goku. It is rare to see one of these fighters today, feel honored by his presence." The announcer told the crowd, somehow making them scream louder.

Vegeta looked away from Azel when he was handed the champion belt and was named the winner. When he had glanced back at where she had been, she was gone. Her ki nowhere to be found. Her mission down here was apparently accomplished.

He spread his ki to pick up Yamcha's. The idiot had tried to find Bulma in the crowd. No doubt trying to talk to the woman. He wouldn't allow that.

_That weakling is making his way over to you. Lose him in the crowd. I will find you once I can get away._ He told her.

_I will… great job by the way. I knew you could do it._

_Was there ever any doubt?_ He asked sarcastically. There had been lots of doubt on his part.

_With you? Never. I knew you wouldn't let Azel trump you. I just wasn't expecting such a tail ending surprise._ She laughed, _Nice tail by the way._

He swished it once more just for her before wrapping it around his waist, where it belonged. He took one last bow before fazing out of sight, getting the crowd all excited once more.

He reappeared somewhere secluded and looked at his trophy. The seven starred ball. He smirked as he pulled it off. That was the fifth one, two more to find before his wish. He was about the chuck the belt, but he held on. It had been trying. Once the wish was made there would be no proof of his hard work other then the remains of the trophy. He shrugged as he held onto it. It might make a good story of how he had his tail returned to him.

It felt wonderful to feel his fifth limb again. He didn't know how humans lived without one. It was such a help to him that it had driven him up the wall when he was adjusting to not having one. It was like a part of him was missing entirely. Now he felt whole as a person again. His tail had been restored to him. Now all he had to do was retrain it to be numb to _un_pleasant contact.

That part was always a pain.

* * *

Bulma sat there, watching him lying in his bed as he snoozed quietly.

It was sort of funny. He had picked her up, flown off with her as far as he could go in the next direction of the Dragon Ball, landed in the middle of no where in a desert, ordered her to pull out the capsule house they had been using, and right when he walked in to the privacy of the house, he temporarily passed out on the floor.

She figured that she should put him in a bed at least, but it was funny to see him passed out on the floor in the middle of the room. Azel had been beating him this way and that, battering at his person until the very last moment when his tail had regenerated, whipped around her neck, and thrown her into the opposite direction. Bulma figured that had been the whole idea.

Azel was funny like that. She would always make you work for something if she knew you could obtain it. It was like her schooling all over again. Azel only confirmed if she was doing it right and if her answer was right. Everything else was up to her. She had to 'use what she knew' to get the results she wanted.

Vegeta had just taken the ultimate _Azel 101_. Only his didn't have a book, it was all hands on.

"Vegeta," she had whispered to him after letting him lie there for a moment, gently pushing against him, "Come on lazybones, let's get you in a bed. That should be more comfortable."

"Who the hell are you calling lazy?" She could hear him mumble when he stirred.

She tugged as his arm in response, choosing to ignore his question. He grunted as he slowly managed to get up. Bulma tried hard not to laugh at his obvious drop in his guard around her. She put his arm around her neck and helped him limp to his bed. He was practically out the moment his head hit the pillow. Almost.

"Here," he said, handing her the note, "That is for you."

With that, he was out.

She opened the note and read it quietly as she pulled up a chair. She wasn't entirely willing to leave Vegeta alone just yet. She wanted to make sure he was alright before she left him be.

_'Dearest, Darlingest Bulma,_

_Kissing is a human thing. Saiyans don't have a form of kissing in any way._

_Yours truly,_

_Ze-Azel'_

Bulma almost fell off her chair. She had half expected a long note to at least tell her something about where to go next, but then again, this was Azel. She had given her information and now she had to use what she knew.

That was so like Azel too. To give her information and let _her_ put it together.

It was sort of funny. Vegeta had kissed her before, once on the temple, and once on the forehead. So what did Azel mean by not having a form of kissing in any way. He would have had to have been mimicking her if what Azel said was to be taken like that.

_Oh…_ Boy did she feel dumb. He was astute. He would have picked up the fact that she was giving him affection and no doubt one of the things he had talked to Azel was about the kiss.

She folded the note back up and turned to watch Vegeta again. She didn't know why, but she had grown addicted to watching him sleep. It was over the time period of when he had been ill, she had watched over him like a hawk. She had stopped once he was healthy enough not to be monitored constantly, but whenever she did have a chance, she enjoyed watching. It was calming. The only time when he wasn't all big and tough and was really just relaxed. She watched him a while longer before leaving his room.

It was getting late and the Tournament was an all day thing. She went back into the living room and picked up the belt where it had been forgotten and admired it. He had already taken the ball out of it, but it was still a very prized trophy. No doubt the reason he kept it was because it had taken everything he had to win it.

She quietly put it in his room, to allow him to decide what to do with it and found the Dragon Ball and put it with the others. Two more and they would have them all.

She wondered what he would wish for. He had told her it was a person. She half wondered if it was Nappa. He had wanted to wish someone back to life to protect her from Yamcha. Yamcha was harmless on most occasions, but she didn't feel ready to face him. Not now, and probably not for a long, long time.

Bulma found herself back in Vegeta's room, hovering over him as she checked on him. He had been batted about, taking hit after hit after hit from Azel and the bruises were beginning to form. She sighed as she lightly touched one, seeing how he grunted even in his sleep. He was probably sore all over on top of being exhausted. She was about to put a blanket over him when she felt something wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him.

"It's not polite to poke people when they are trying to sleep," She heard him mutter half awake.

With a swift tug and a surprised yelp, she was pulled onto him.

"It's late, sleep." He mumbled before shifting over to give her more room.

His tail, which she had realized was what was around her waist, pulled her a bit closer as he used both arms to hold the pillow while he buried his face back into it. She wasn't ready for bed, but his invitation had caught her by surprise.

"You want me to sleep with you?" She paused.

"One day," was his sleepy answer as he shifted again, "But for now… sleep next to me."

Bulma blinked. Did he really just say what she thought he said? Or did he just hear her wrong? Either way, she wasn't entirely sure he was lucid in his thoughts. He had good reactions, so he could probably talk while being half-asleep and making at least decent conversation.

"I'm not ready to go to bed yet Vegeta," She whispered, poking him in the arm, "I still have some things to do."

His tail pulled away from her waist and she realized that he had understood.

"Good night Vegeta," She whispered, placing a kiss on his head.

She got a incomprehensible mutter in reply. No doubt he wasn't awake anymore. She smiled as she walked away and out of the room. Oh. She would be back, if only so that she could tease him tomorrow when he demanded to know why she was in his bed sleeping with him when he was sure he had gone to bed alone- or gone to bed on the floor, depending on how much he remembered.

She went and readied to go to bed.

* * *

"Why are you being so grumpy," Bulma whined as they sped through the desert on one of her sand riders, "I told you that you had asked me to stay with you!"

"I do not remember asking to awaken to some woman groping my tail." Vegeta growled at her as she drove them through the desert sands.

"I'm sorry! I wasn't awake either. Do you think I liked groping your tail? No. I would much rather grab it right now and give it a good yank for you scaring the hell out of me this morning." Bulma growled right back.

She was just as embarrassed to have done it to him. She knew that touching his tail was a taboo, but she was use to sleeping with a cat when she was little that loved to cuddle her when they slept. _He_ liked it when she petted his tail. But then again, that had been a cat. Vegeta's tail was definitely _not_ a cat's tail. Though it was soft and fluffy. She hadn't been expecting it to be so addictingly soft. Hell, she would be prone to petting him again if she thought she could get away with it unscathed.

"Whatever," Vegeta huffed as he went back to sulking.

He had only had it back for one day and he wakes up to the biggest hard on in his life- even worse than when she had massaged the once inflamed and infected stub. Apparently, she had been rubbing it for a good long time while she slept, like some old habit of hers. The only reason he had scared the hell out of her was so that she wouldn't know how _badly_ that had affected him. She was able to do things that no other had been able to do before. She was given so many liberties with him and yet he still would rather spoil her than punish her when she crossed the line.

That's why she was driving. He wanted to drive this thing, it looked hard to control and very entertaining, but he let her drive since she also enjoyed such activities.

"You know, I think this was the desert that Oolong, Goku, and I ran across the Desert Bandit." Bulma mused, looking around the place. "Goku was losing the first time they fought."

"You ran into a bandit on your adventures and Kakarrott actually was losing?" Vegeta asked, curious to how she might have escaped that one.

"Yep. He was just a little boy back then."

"He was twelve if memory serves." Vegeta cut in.

"Yeah," Bulma laughed, "He was a twelve year old bumpkin. So anyways, he was hungry, we had no vehicles that we knew of, and the heat was wearing us out. I had just fallen asleep when he had attacked, so I didn't get to see the fight, but Oolong said that Goku was losing badly."

"So, how did you get out of that one?"

"I woke up and he noticed me for the first time. He turned tail and ran," Bulma laughed happily, "It was kinda funny. But, back then I thought he was cute. Turned out Oolong had another vehicle and was holding out on us. After that, we had the Desert Bandit after us trying to steal the Dragon Balls from us."

"He ran because he saw _you_…" Vegeta asked, not believing what he was hearing.

"Yep," Bulma said, a mischievous grin on her face, "He got really nervous around pretty girls."

"…You're… joking… right?" Vegeta's voice pleaded in her ear.

"Nope." Bulma sounded almost remorseful at the memory, "It took me forever to get him to be okay with me. The only problem was, once I cured him of being nervous of me, I had also cured him of his general nervousness around _every_ girl. I learned my lesson. Don't date teenage bandits, no matter how cute they are."

"…Please tell me that the bandit wasn't who I think he is."

"Yamcha? Yep. Yamcha Bandit." Bulma said with a little venom in her voice, "Was once the terror of this desert. Now the only thing he steals are women's hearts. But not mine… not anymore."

Vegeta blinked. The scarred one had been a… bandit? He knew that Bulma had dated him, hell, he had seen some of the tail end of their relationship. It was just confusing…

"That goody-goody was a bandit?" He questioned her story.

"Oh, yeah," Bulma said with a nod, slowing down the speed of the vehicle so she could think better, "Yamcha had been trying to steal our capsules, then he tried to steal the Dragon Balls. What? You thought he was always a good guy?"

"Aren't all you Z-fighter friends sickenly heroic?" Vegeta asked with disgust.

Bulma stopped the sand rider, cutting the engine as she got off so she could look him in the eye. Did he really think that all her friends had been good? The only one she could think of that truly had a pure heart was Goku… and Launch when she wasn't blonde.

"No." She said as she stretched, turning away from him and walking away a bit to stretch her legs.

She could sense Vegeta doing the same as she heard the sands shift to his weight.

She continued on after a moment, knowing he was still interested since he hadn't tried changing subjects.

"Oolong had been terrorizing a village for all their things; Yamcha had been a bandit who stole from people; Krillin might not have done anything too terrible, but he did trick Goku a lot as kids into doing some stupid stuff; Tien and Chiaotzu were both trained assassins; and Piccolo is the reincarnation of Daiymou Piccolo and both had tried to take over the world. In fact, he was still trying to do just that till he met Gohan and began to train him."

She paused for a second before continuing on with a huge giggle, "Hell! While I am at it. Puar helped Yamcha steal. The Ox king was a terror for a while. Chichi tricked Goku into marrying her. Launch had a split personality that liked her guns and stealing, and while we are at it, Roshi is the biggest pervert in the universe and has hit on me on several occasions. None of the _Z-Fighters_, as you had stated earlier, are sickenly heroic. In fact, they all have their own demons."

She turned around to look at his stunned expression before it slowly changed into one of great amusement, his mouth quirking into a defiant smile. His tail that had been wrapped around his waist was now swishing back and forth as he began to chuckle lightly before it turned into a pleasant laugh that rumbled deeply, clutching his stomach and bending over as he kept laughing.

It was just too funny. The very men who scorned him for all his wicked deeds were just as guilty for their own black past. That three eyed freak hated him, but at the same time, he had killed innocents as well. The irony of it all was just too hard to not find so humorous!

Bulma couldn't help but laugh a little herself when she realized what he was laughing so hard about. They hated him, yet they all had their own dark history. She giggled a bit more. Not even Chichi could be called pure since she had underhandedly tricked Goku into marrying her- not that the woman didn't do what was best for the world by taking the idiot off the market.

Not only was she laughing about that, but Vegeta really had a contagious laugh. She couldn't just not laugh when he was laughing like this. Not malevolently at all, but actually finding good humor in the situation. He had actually fallen over sometime during her own musings as was still laughing on the ground, still clutching his stomach as he did.

"Okay, okay," She finally said as she still let out a pleasant giggle, "I get it mister. It's funny. But please don't forget to breathe."

He must have been put into a pleasant mood. It was apparent to her because of the fact that when she had approached him, he snaked his tail around her ankle and pulled her on top of him as he tried to gain back his serious, but playful air about him.

She let out a yelp and flinched, readying herself for rough contact, but was gently caught by his hands while he pulled her into his hold.

"You are amusing, little one," He said to her as he let out one more deep chuckle, "I think you did that on purpose."

The two of them were on the ground, almost nose touching nose as Vegeta gained his composure. A catty smile on his face, exposing his sharp canines. Bulma loved it when he was in a good mood. It made him all the more fun to talk to and tease. Seeing him like this put her in very playful and catty moods herself.

"And what if I did? You were being grumpy." Bulma said with a playful tone as she licked the tip of his nose, "You're much more fun in a good mood."

She couldn't help but giggle at his expression as he reared his head back farther and looked at her with utter shock. His face flushed pink as he stared at her bewildered at her affections. She could feel him go tense under her. All his muscles tightening as he tensed further, readying to do what, she didn't even think he knew.

He was not use to affections like what she gave him and she knew it. He didn't know a woman's touch and even though he wasn't about to go into cardiac arrest like Yamcha would have once upon a time, he was still inexperienced and lost at what to do with her and her affections. The best he could do was guess and mimic what she did. Before he came to Earth, Vegeta had probably never had a pleasant touch to his person since he was five. Radditz and Nappa didn't look like touchy feely kind of guys who would be too gentle with the youngest Saiyan in their pack- even if he was their prince.

Well, she was going to have to fix that. She made Yamcha at ease with her playful nature and affectionate hugs and gestures, so why couldn't she do that with Vegeta? It sounded fun and no doubt would rile him up into a great argument.

"What? I don't bite," Bulma said with a sly smile on her face as she pushed herself off of him, pushing off of his broad chest with her hands.

She paused when she was halfway up, straddling him as she slowly readied to stand, "Often, anyways."

Vegeta looked like all brain functions at that time had died. His cheeks were dusted with a fine shade of crimson and his eyes were wide as he stared at her disbelievingly. She managed somehow to keep herself from laughing as she finally stood up and walked back to the Sand Rider, checking the Dragon Ball radar as she sat back down on the vehicle.

Had she really said that? Vegeta couldn't believe that she had actually said that! He couldn't help but feel aroused slightly by what she had said. He didn't know why, but it made him feel excited. Not only that, but she had licked him on the nose. _Licked!_ As in, not kissing, not anything that Azel had even remotely explained to him. He was now treading in unknown waters with this woman and for some reason it frightened him.

Her touch had been gentle, but her hands burned him like fire as she slowly pushed herself up, her fingers lingering on his chest as she righted herself. It made his heart beat furiously.

"Vegeta, the next Dragon Ball is up ahead," Bulma said as she sat cross legged in those tight skinny jeans, showing off every curve of her leg, dangling the keys in front of her. "Do you want to drive?"

Oh hell yes did he want to drive. He got up as fast as he could, snagging the keys from her hand as gently as possible and hopped on the bike-like vehicle in front of her. She smiled as he did, glad that he had recovered at least a little from her teasing. He was just so much fun to get a reaction out of.

He was such a prude it was almost hilarious to see his normally serious expression crack into such a bewildered or embarrassed look. She straddled the vehicle as he put the keys in the ignition. For being an alien and not having his license, he was a wonderful driver- unlike Goku who had crashed her bike on more than one occasion.

She grinned as she suddenly scooted up closer to him, practically melding herself to his back and giving his tail one quick gentle tug as she started from the bottom and let her hand glide up to the tip, moving it to the side so she could get even closer. He didn't lose control of the vehicle like she would have thought, but he sure was startled.

"WOMAN!" He roared as he jerked his head around to glare at her.

"It was in my way," She said lamely with that same Cheshire cat smile.

He was about to tell her to scoot back to her original spot, but she had leaned forward and her lips were by his ear.

"You need to go a little bit farther up, about 4 kilometers, and it should be around that area." She said in a breathy voice.

She could feel him shiver again since she was pressed up against him. She pulled away with a content smile on her face as she wrapped her arms around his waist and held on as he drove. She knew he was going to be mad at her constant teasing, but this was too much fun!

Vegeta's thoughts were about the opposite of hers. She was playing with him. He knew she was. He knew she was doing this to him on purpose because she could. He wanted to yell at her and scream at her for doing this to him, but he couldn't help but feel some pride as well. She was a sneaky little minx and she knew how to exploit a weakness. She realized he was lacking something, and now was quietly teasing him with it.

She wouldn't do it around other people because of her respect or whatever she had for him. But they were alone and it made him an open target. He was really proud how Saiyan like she really was.

He just hoped he could rid himself of his arousal before she noticed how big it had gotten.

Kami, he could only hope that he would get use to this before she got worse. Otherwise it was going to be _very_ awkward after his wish…


	13. Chapter 13

Okay,

Guess what? I am cutting this story short and going to become a mime, throwing away my computer for the life of mimicry...

Alright, I might be crazy, but I highly doubt I'll ever do that. However, I did realize I have finished writing Trusted One. It will end at chapter 17 and then will be followed up by a sequel: Almost Full Moon. I know. You're thinking: They are going to get married in the next four chapters and have a kid? I know I was pushing for an update but this is just insane!

No, Trusted One ends right before all that. The story found itself completed before that happened. The sequel is about another chapter of their life.

And to all you lovely crazy heads so certain that Azel is to be brought back... She died a natural death. Shenron can't bring back those who died a natural death. Sorry to burst your bubble, but there is a good twist in there if you allow it. I really want your opinion.

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 13

_Kami's Lookout  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ... I wish I did... I really do.**

* * *

"How does this work, Onna?" Vegeta asked as he looked at the seventh ball in his hand.

They were lounging outside next to the capsule house. Bulma had brought out a foldable table, two chairs, two glasses, a picture of freshly made lemonade, and patted the chair next to hers. She told him to sit with her and enjoy the sun with her for a while. He had been training as best as he could without a GR since they had finally collected all the Dragon Balls after two weeks on the road. They had apparently been in most of the main Old World countries too.

Well, after Bulma said that she had laughed. She quickly explained how once upon a time the world was shaped a little bit differently- okay, a lot different. Wars and natural disasters as well as the first and second magical wish on the Dragon Balls had altered the world's bodies of land. So what once was Japan- which was the area she lived in- was connected to what was once called China- where Chichi and Goku lived. They no longer had these countries, but sometimes, people still referred to the areas as such because of the lingering traditions that had been preserved.

Like the Japanese culture she was derived from that had survived somewhat.

She also quickly explained the genetic traits that had disappeared over the years- like how she was a blue eyed, blue haired Japanese blooded woman when in the Old World- as the humans called it- most had dark hair and dark eyes. Humans were strange. That's what his conclusion was. Strange, but resilient creatures that adapted after their environment was greatly altered.

"Well, first you summon Shenron to the physical realm, then he asks you what your wish is, and then he will tell you if he can grant it or not. It's not rocket science Vegeta." Bulma said as she lounged in the chair, "Why you asking?"

"I only get one wish. I need to make it count. I know you mentioned that Porunga can wish back one person multiple times unless they died of natural death. How is Shenron different?"

"Oh, he allows a large amount of people to be wished back all at once, but only brings a person back to life _once_. After that, you have to be lucky like Krillin and get wished back by Porunga."

"So anything else?"

"He never grants the same wish twice or undoes other wishes." Bulma said after musing over the question a while.

"I see," Vegeta nodded as he looked at the four star ball, "So where should we make this wish?"

"You're wishing someone back to life, right?" Bulma asked, looking at him with a questioning stare.

"Something along those lines." Vegeta relented, "Trust me on this."

"Fine, I trust you," Bulma nodded, "But if I were you, I would go to Kami's Lookout to do it just so no one sees Shenron. By the way, do you think you should at least give Goku a heads up?"

"No," Vegeta snorted, "If anything his presence will make things sour."

Bulma nodded. If he really was going to bring a Saiyan back to life, either Radditz or Nappa, both would not appreciate Goku there. He did play a large part in both their deaths. But then again, Vegeta apparently killed Nappa himself.

"I've never been to Kami's Lookout before though," Bulma continued on, "but I know where it is located. I just can't fly up there."

"Well then, today's your lucky day, isn't it," Vegeta said with a smug look.

"I guess it is," Bulma said with a small smile, looking at him with a content look.

She stood up folding up her chair and lifted it up before pausing, looking at his curious look.

"Go take a shower so you don't stink," she said, crinkling her nose in mock disgust, "then we can leave."

"I stink do I?" Vegeta asked with a malicious tone, "Well then-" He grabbed her from where she stood, pulling her onto his lap. "-I guess this wouldn't be appreciated."

With that he pulled her close to him, rubbing his head and hair, saturated in his sweat, against her as she fought to get out of his grip sounding off unpleasant squeals as he dirtied her with his grim. He let her free after making sure she reeked of him and his 'stink' and went inside to take a shower.

"Vegeta!!!" She roared as she stood there, body frozen at the feel of his sweat on her, "I'll get you for that!"

* * *

Kami had been having a normal day. He was sitting and having tea, taking a break from watching the world, and waiting.

Oh. He had seen Bulma and Vegeta running about and collecting the Dragon Balls and he knew they were coming up here. In actuality, he was interested in his first meeting with Bulma, but Vegeta…

He wasn't sure what to think of the man. He had seen the deeds he had preformed and he knew the reason he was collecting the Dragon Balls. The only thing Kami didn't know was the actual wish.

It made him worried. Would it be a poor wish? Or would it work out for the Earth's favor? He had seen the dawning of this new era. He had witnessed the end of what was known as the Old World and he knew that the wishes caused powerful changes…

So he could only wonder what huge change would occur with this wish.

He stopped sipping his tea when he felt the power signals coming towards him. Vegeta's and the small one was Bulma's, however, it had increased if ever so slightly. He smiled. She must have picked up her sword again.

He had watched Azel when she had first come, worried about having to confront her and kill her before she endangered his world, but even then, she had been too powerful for him. So he watched her. She had raised Bulma, starting as her guard, becoming a scientist and her teacher, and then a beloved mentor. He knew the woman had raised Bulma well, teaching her everything she could from self defense- though Bulma never needed it because of her friends- to how to solve problems.

If anything, he knew Bulma for years and years. He knew all about her because of the people she surrounded herself with and decided that maybe he should give her a little gift- for the future he could predict coming.

"Mr. Popo, please go welcome our guests and tell them that I would like to have a word with them." Kami said as he took one last sip of his tea.

Most Namekians liked just water, but he had a taste for tea on occasions. It was still water, but with flavor to it.

"Yes Kami," Mr. Popo nodded, walking off to do so.

Kami looked down at his cup and summoned the image from his prediction once again. Blue eyes. A lavender hair child looking up at someone in wonder while another child with raven black hair tugged happily on the lavender locks of his playmate. Both smiling and laughing. For the sake of those two in his vision, he was willing to give Vegeta a chance. The future was changing and with change came a new era.

This era promised both strength and hope.

He got up slowly, walking himself with cane in hand as he decided he was getting too old for this.

He needed a successor.

* * *

Bulma was impressed. The place was one of the most interesting places she had ever been. She knew it had been destroyed on several occasions, so the amount of effort it must have taken to rebuild it back to its former glory was astounding even to her.

Vegeta lowered them onto the tile, setting her down gently before scooting away from her. She noticed that he had become a little stiff. He was nervous about something. Though he was an expert at hiding it, she could tell by how he held himself and how his tail wouldn't wrap around his waist.

His tail, unless he was using it to tease her, was always wrapped around his waist like a belt. However, right now it was tightened around her wrist, refusing to budge even though he had moved away from her to make it seem like he was not with her, but still with her… If that made any sense at all.

Bulma hid her smile as she watched Mr. Popo walk up to them.

"Greetings, Bulma, Vegeta. What brings you here today?" He asked, knowing when to play dumb.

"Hi, Mr. Popo," Bulma said with a friendly wave and a happy grin, "Vegeta and I collected the Dragon Balls to make a wish. We thought that since this place was far away from other humans, it would be the best place to summon Shenron."

"I see," Mr. Popo said with a nod, "Well then, please wait for a moment. Kami wanted to greet you before you did anything."

"Yes, of course." Bulma said with a nod.

"Don't worry, you won't have to wait long. I am sorry for not greeting you at first," Kami's voice penetrated the air.

Both Vegeta and Bulma looked over to the old Namekian that slowly made his way to the others. Bulma greeted him with a smile and a friendly wave while Vegeta stared at him with a defensive look, but the old one never thought him to do different.

"Hello," he greeted, lowering his head in a small bow, "I have yet to meet you two, but trust me when I say I have been keeping a good eye on both of you." He paused as he looked at Bulma, smiling a little wider. "I have been waiting to meet you, Bulma."

Bulma blinked, pointing to herself with a surprised look.

"You…have? Me?" She questioned, "Why?"

"I have been watching over you because of the people that gather around you. First, there was Azel, then Goku. Even now, I have watched the people around you and in turn, you. Bulma. Through all that has happened, you have performed magnificently." He smiled.

Bulma couldn't help but blush and fidget at what he had said. She had never had anyone but Vegeta praise her for her work. Her parents and employees didn't count since they were suppose to.

"Thank you," She mumbled as she shifted again.

Kami chuckled at her, but turned to Vegeta for the next matter of business.

"You want to call the Eternal Dragon for a wish?"

"Yes." Vegeta nodded, looking at Kami with a guarded expression, "Are you going to allow me or do I have to fight you for it?"

"No, no," Kami laughed in good humor, "You can have your wish. I just wanted to know if we should take a few steps back and distant ourselves."

Vegeta considered it for a moment before unwrapping his tail from Bulma and nodding, "It is wise."

He really didn't know how this was going to go.

"Right then," Kami said, "Bulma, come and have some tea with me inside. Mr. Popo makes the most wonderful jade tea."

"Okay…" Bulma said quietly before glancing at Vegeta, "Be careful what you wish for okay?"

"Like I wouldn't think it over," Vegeta scoffed.

"Just saying Vegeta," Bulma said, "I mean, what you wish for might be more than you expected is all I'm trying to say."

"Your concern has been noted. Now go drink some tea with the Old One and the strange one." Vegeta told her, pulling out the Dragon Balls and setting them on the ground one by one as he did so.

Bulma nodded and left with Kami and Mr. Popo for inside. Kami offered her a seat by the window so she could see Shenron again.

Vegeta took in a deep breath. He hoped this worked. He had been up most of the night thinking through his wish and he had decided this would be the best course of action.

He used the words that Bulma had taught him for summoning Shenron and watched with interest as he appeared. Shenron definitely looked different from Porunga. His size, though massive, was not as big as the older dragon and he looked more like the Chinese Dragons Bulma had pointed out in the area China once was.

"Who has summoned me?"

"I have summoned you," Vegeta said, standing taller as he stared up at the dragon, "I am Prince Vegeta of Vegeta-sei."

The mighty dragon nodded, "Then make your wish so I can return to my slumber."

Vegeta prepped himself, "I wish that everyone with Saiyan blood that has died here on Earth to be brought back to life right here instead of the location of their death."

Sharon's eyes glowed red before he spoke, "So you have wished, so I have granted."

With a flash the Saiyans who had died appeared in front of him and the Eternal Dragon disappeared and the Dragon Balls scattered.

However, both to Bulmer's horror and Vegeta's surprise, there were more than two bodies.

_Oh no! I could I forgotten about Turles!_ Bulma thought in panic before transferring her thoughts to him, _Vegeta! Watch out for Turles!_

_What! Turles came here?!_ Vegeta didn't sound very happy.

Of course, the Saiyans that had been brought back to life had been confused, but the moment that Nappa had seen Vegeta, his face contorted to one of rage and he lunged for him.

"_YOU!" _ He yelled in righteous anger, "You killed me!"

Vegeta sidestepped him, dodging every movement as Nappa tried to seek his revenge. Radditz was confused as he looked at the two fighting.

"Hey! Quit it!" He hollered at the two of them, but didn't dare try to interfere, "Nappa, you moron, we are alive again."

"Alive indeed, dear cousin," a familiar voice said to him, causing him to whip around to see a familiar family face, "Turles! You! How did you get here?!"

Turles looked like a cat that had gotten the cream and canary all at once, "I came here to suck this planet dry of all its life." His face screwed into one of anger, "But then your idiot little brother killed me!"

Radditz didn't like where this was going. He took a nervous step back, Nappa and the Prince forgotten.

"And now I think I'll take it out on you," He seethed as he readied his fist to strike.

A smaller hand gripped his and both turned to look and the unnoticed female that had been standing there, "That wouldn't be kind of you now, would it?"

"Who the hell are _you_," Both Radditz and Turles asked in the same moment, both jumping back in surprise.

Nappa and Vegeta froze as well when they realized that there had been a fourth party. Vegeta took that given opening to pin Nappa before he could turn his attention on him.

"Hold still Nappa and let me explain!" Vegeta roared as Nappa thrashed.

He might have been stronger than Nappa, but it was still hard to hold the larger man.

"I'm sorry," Vegeta bit out.

Nappa went stark still. Radditz also dropped his mouth when he heard such words come from his Prince. Turles looked surprised as well.

"I killed you and I have regretted it ever since. I brought you back to life," His head snapped over to the others, "All of you back. I have much to tell you, but first let me tell you that Freiza has been not only defeated, but killed, as well as his men and his father."

"Freiza's dead?" They gasped and muttered at such a revelation.

It was Radditz who asked, "Did you kill him, Sire?"

"No," Vegeta growled angrily, "It was some unknown brat. Kakarrott also was the one to defeat him."

"Kakarrot?!?!" All of the men seethed.

"Yes, but he is stronger than all of you," Vegeta told them, "He has become an Awakened One. He is mine to reap revenge on, none of yours- unless…" He paused, letting out a dark smile, "You want to try and see if I won't send you back to whence I brought you from."

Turles, Radditz, and Nappa bit their tongues as the begrudgingly shook their heads no.

"Good," Vegeta barked before turning to look at Turles, "So this is where you disappeared to, hm? Got killed by Kakarrott and his little do gooders, didn't you?"

Turles looked away in anger.

"This is our home now and there will be no destroying it," Vegeta told them in his princely tone, "Or else you suffer not only the wrath of me, but Kakarrott and his spawn as well."

It baffled his men that he was changed. He looked different, Radditz decided, and it wasn't because of the clothes. It was as if something had soothed his enraged heart and calmed it into the noble, dangerous warrior he saw now.

With no one complaining and attacking, Vegeta turned his head to look at the fourth party, "Who the hell are you?"

Bulma on the other hand had noticed the fourth member of the revival, shortly after Nappa had moved out of the way and attacked Vegeta. There had been something familiar about her. Her dark skin, short raven hair that fell gracefully into straight locks of hair, her angled features that gave her a royal air to her, the elongated ears that had a point to them, the gold gleam in them she could see even from a mile away, and that stance. That stance was Azel's… to that meant that this woman- this woman that looked twenty-three- was _her_.

She had grown. She was no longer a little girl that looked like an innocent soul, but a full-grown woman that was confident in her movements. She was dressed in a green jacket that matched her skirt, both being trimmed in white and she was wearing knee high white boots and she too had one of those gems that she had seen Zarbon wear around her neck in a silver choker.

She couldn't help but leap out of her chair and dash to the entrance of the little palace Kami had.

Her heart couldn't help but allow her the words to come off her lips, "VENUS!"

The woman's head jerked in her direction, staring at her a moment before her features pulled into a huge smile that lit up her entire face.

"Bulma-nee-chan!" She cried in joy as she fazed away from both men and swooped up Bulma in a hug, her tail that Bulma noticed was also a pitch black, swishing in happiness.

"You came back," Bulma whispered as the taller woman pulled her off her feet.

"I don't know how," Venus confessed, "I was sparring with one of my buddies and in mid-swing, I'm here!"

Vegeta seemed to understand what was going on, but the other males seemed confused.

"Hey," Radditz realized at he looked at the blue hair, "I've seen her before, and she was with Kakarrott when I first located him. Why is _she_ here?"

His snarl made it apparent that he wasn't too thrilled with anything that had to do with his little brother, but Vegeta put him in his place.

"The woman is to be left unharmed," he smiled as if to his own private joke, "In fact, if it wasn't for her, you'd still be dead."

He watched her a moment longer as she was reacquainted with Azel's child before slowly walking up to them, motioning for his men to follow him.

Kami was right behind the threshold and he looked to be enjoying it, "I am relieved to see you have this under control, Vegeta."

Radditz watched. Usually, when his title was forgotten he went into a hissy, but he remained calm. Raddiz shot a look of surprise at Nappa who looked down at him in equal surprise and shrugged.

"Onna," Vegeta demanded, "Stop wasting the day away and get out of the way, I need to speak with the Old One."

Bulma's look of absolute joy turned to one of anger as she glared at Vegeta, "Yeah right Vegeta, I am not your slave, walk around us you big jerk!"

"You will not speak to the Prince like-" Nappa had started to interject, but was interrupted by Vegeta.

"Drop it Nappa," He told him with a warning glare.

Nappa's rebuke died in his throat. He took another look at the blue haired woman. She looked frail in the arms of the woman who was still holding her, only now on the more defensive side. The black tail was puffed out and she was eyeing them as if _daring_ them to even try to attack.

"They won't attack," Vegeta told her, shooting them a glare, "She is safe."

"Big words from such a little man," Venus huffed, "But if you anything like my mother, you can hold your own quite nicely."

She released Bulma, sticking her nose closer to Vegeta and sniffing him, "You are Royalty?"

"Yes," Vegeta said in a calm tone as he once again was circled by a woman with Saiyan blood, "I am Prince Vegeta the 27th."

"Long line," Venus noted before pulling away and began to assess the other men.

"These are the few remaining Saiyans of pure blood," Vegeta motioned, as if offering her one.

Bulma didn't know what was going on, but she felt safer closer to Vegeta…

Or right behind him.

_You don't fear me and yet you fear my men?_ She heard him banter in her head.

"So what?" She whispered annoyed, _I don't trust them not to go against your command. I mean come on! I saw what they all did._

_I was right there with them, Onna. I was doing the very same things._

_You are different though… Them… I am not too sure about yet._

_It will take some time, but all them into your home and let your way of life re-civilize them. Nappa is probably going to be the one that sticks to our ways longest. Radditz was always one for adaptability._

_But he tried to steal Gohan!_

_He was trying to save the pup._ Vegeta corrected her,_ What Kakarrott had done was a crime punishable by death. By taking the Halfling he was sparing him._

Bulma looked at Radditz with a whole new light. It was shocking to see him as someone who was trying to follow orders but as well trying to save a life as well. She had thought him some cruel man, but he really was caring.

"So, you were trying to save Gohan?" She questioned him now that she wasn't afraid of him.

Radditz looked at her in shock before staring at Vegeta.

"What? Are you tongue-tied? She _asked_ you a question," Vegeta growled at him.

"Err… Yes," He nodded, not looking anyone in the eyes, "I didn't think I had to kill a child for his sire's mistake. With his amount of potential, I knew that Freiza wouldn't kill him. He would be interested at most."

"Oh," Bulma said as she took a step away from Vegeta, no longer feeling the need for a shield, "Well, he's okay now. He's really strong now too."

"I see," Radditz nodded, "Then my general assumption was correct I guess."

He would have continued to talk, but something ruffled him, making him jump towards her and Vegeta and away from the criminal.

"Sorry," Venus said, "I was just curious as to if your hair had anything in it that made it stand on end like that."

"Eh… No…" Radditz mumbled as he tried not to look embarrassed.

Turles and Nappa were cracking up at his jumpiness.

"Brats these days just are too big of prudes," Nappa laughed.

"Oh, and you aren't jumpy when it comes to women?" Bulma bantered as she took another step forward.

Nappa leaned down to see eye to eye with her, "No."

"Not even a little?"

"The only woman that scared the hell out of me was his mother," Nappa jeered his head in Vegeta's direction, "That woman was a firecracker and untamable by any Saiyan male, even her mate."

Turles decided to add something in, "But she was also the smartest Saiyan in the universe. I might have been eight when she vanished, but I know our Queen had been the reason we lived another two years on Vegeta-sei."

Bulma decided that against their rough and tough act, they weren't too bad, so she wasn't afraid anymore.

"Oh? And what about her scared the living hell out of ya?"

"She liked to get her mate all upset by rubbing against people," Nappa said with a chuckle, "He would beat anyone senseless if they so much as had one ounce too much of her scent on them. Then, she would come in half way through the beating and start beating the hell out of his Majesty. It was her way of getting his attention, but also her way of showing appreciation to the party she rubbed on."

"Oh? So how often did she do that to you?" Bulma laughed at the thought of a small woman beating up on someone like Vegeta.

"I was her guard before Vegeta's." Nappa smiled, "I was beaten constantly. But enough about the past, I want to know why _you_ smell of Vegeta."

"I don't smell like-"

She cut herself off as she remembered him rubbing against her with all his sweat covering him. At first she thought that it had been for playful cruelty, but now she was thinking something different.

"You!" She seethed as she turned around to glare at… nothing.

He had vanished, or more like ran away.

"Darn it Vegeta!" She yelled, "When I get my hands on you! I am soooo tying that tail of yours in a knot! VEGETA!!"

Nappa looked at Turles before looking at Radditz.

_Who the hell is this little thing?_ He asked them through his mental connection.

_Hell if I know, but she does smell of Vegeta._ Turles responded first.

_I think something has occurred in our absence. Vegeta is much more lenient than before. Perhaps it is the death of Freiza that has done so?_ Radditz commented before glancing at Venus, _And what of this female?_

_Vegeta seemed at ease with her, but I can smell she is different,_ Nappa noted,_ Almost like Zarbon and…_ his mind trailed off for a second,_ Never mind. She is half-blood._

The three of them watched in amusement as Bulma threatened the sky, not knowing where Vegeta had gone. Venus eventually made her evaluations of the men and was chatting lightly with the Namekian. He seemed interested in her.

"Though I do think she's gotten louder," Venus mentioned in good spirits, "But she is still my Onee-chan."

"Bulma," Kami called to her after a moment, "Come here child."

Bulma didn't know what else to do, but to stop screaming angrily at no one- she'd get him for it later- and walked up to Kami.

"Yes?" She asked, looking curiously at him.

He placed his hand on her head and without a word, Vegeta could feel her ki level rise easily to four hundred. Power surged around her and she looked at him in confusion.

"You're going to be living with Saiyans," He said simply, "You need to be more durable. So I have awakened your hidden power from within."

Bulma chuckled nervously when she realized how true it was. She would need a little more durability with a bunch of them around.

"Yeah, Thanks!" She nodded, "Well, I guess we should head home. VEGETA!"

"WHAT!?!" He roared from his place in a tree, knowing his tail was safe again for the time being.

"I need a ride home," She said simply.

"Then find one," Vegeta snorted in mock disgust.

"Oh no! You are going to have me board three more Saiyans, so _you_ are taking me home!"

"Oh? And what about the she-Halfling? Is she not welcomed there?" He asked in a condescending tone.

"Of course she's welcomed to stay!" Bulma yelled in an undignified manner, "It's her home too!"

Bulma turned around and grabbed hold of Venus's hands, "You'll stay right?"

Venus had been quiet most of the time, but Bulma knew she had always been a quiet child. She spoke when spoken to and usually stayed in the background as an observer. She smiled and laughed a lot, but she was one that liked to watch those around her.

Her face lit up in another brilliant smile, "Of course I will stay with you! You are my family, Onee-chan!"

"That's wonderful! My mom and dad will be thrilled to see you again!" Bulma said with a happy tone before whipping around the look at Vegeta, "See? Now get over here and take me home!"

_Or do I have to mention the porcupine incident to get home?_ She threatened him with a dark smirk.

"Come on," Vegeta said in a tight voice, "We should get back in time to tell your crazy mother that she has more guests."

"Yeah," Bulma laughed, "She's going to have a field day with all this 'strapping young men'."

Venus laughed along with her before Vegeta, who had an amused look on his face, picked up Bulma and took to the air.

The other three followed, but Radditz and Turles suddenly felt a chill run down their spine.

Kami watched as they leaved and waited for a moment more before Goku popped up with his instant transmission.

"Hey, Kami-sama," He waved happily, but Kami could tell he was tense.

"Yes, Son-kun?" Kami said in a calm tone.

"I came here to check out the energy signals that were coming from here… They seemed vaguely familiar and I wanted to make sure no one bad was up here."

"Oh, nothing bad at all," Kami shook his head calmly, "Bulma and Vegeta were just up here visiting. They left with a few old friends, but nothing Vegeta couldn't handle. Don't be too concerned over those ki, but do me a favor and don't go visiting Bulma anytime soon."

Goku's face scrunched up, "Eh? Why not?"

"Let's just say that those old friends are a little sore at you." Kami chuckled, "But do not fear Goku, I can sense the world already turning for the better because of it."

Goku blinked as he watched the old Namekian walk back inside.

"I'm confused…" He said as he cocked his head to the side, "How does who have to what?"

He shrugged before putting his fingers to his head, "Oh well, I'll tell Piccolo he was worrying for nothing! Back to that driving test! Now where did that old man's ki go?"


	14. Chapter 14

Okay,

Haha, I am sorry I gave you people heart attacks. That was not my intent...

Okay, so, _maybe_ it was. But you'll live. Here is that addition to the story and for all of you who are thinking 'How is Bunny Briefs going to do it?' Well, that will be answered next chapter.

But on to this one. Since you all are wonderful and reviewed I decided to update this morning just for you. Plus that and I don't know when I will have the chance to one I am home for spring break. Busy Busy Busy.

By the way, I am thinking of a new AU to write (yes folks this story is an AU) and I just need some ideas of what you want to see.

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 14

_Beware of Blonde  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ... I wish I did... I really do.**

* * *

Mrs. Briefs had seen the world. She had been at the highlights of events and participated in world changing events. She wasn't stupid, of course not, she had graduated the top of her class in nanotechnology, biomechanics, and bioengineering. She was one of the smartest woman of her time.

She had met Trunks at her time in the field. He was there working on his dino-caps, and she pointed out the things that had been wrong with his equation. He was young and handsome back then and a real card. Oh, heavens, he still was one in her eyes, but back then, they had been adventurous and wild.

Then, they had their greatest adventure, having Bulma. They had settled down and had built this home. It had been small, but with the growing fame Dr. Trunks Briefs, they had built a compound so that their baby girl would be safe.

Bunny stopped working, taking care of the more charismatic touches of the job. She was eccentric, but wasn't any brilliant woman in her own right? She took care of the baby and took care of the parties and company. She loved it, so she never minded pulling away from her science.

Bulma had been kidnapped when she was five, and they were only lucky to have gotten her back by some grace. That was when they had decided on hiring a bodyguard. But no one would do. The tough guys scared her, the other ones didn't acknowledge she was more than just a job, and female ones, though more kind and considerate, didn't have enough power to fight back a big enough man.

That's when they had met her best friend in the whole world: Azel. She had been fighting back a bunch of men with one arm that was limp against her frame and a leg that wouldn't more. Her face looked horrid with her acidic, but she had found a friend in her.

They had taken her in as a guest, though she refused thoroughly at first. She was later to be found pregnant, thus bringing Dr. Sonata into the picture. She was kind and patient where others were not. She kept secrets well and soon the three woman became friends. Azel had saved Bulma one day from getting kidnapped again, thus getting a position as bodyguard. Slowly, she was able to use her limbs and slowly she had won their hearts as they did hers.

Bulma grew up, and with each passing day, Azel's health slowly diminished. She had never recovered from Venus's death. Only Bunny and Azel knew that Venus had given up her ki to prolong Azel's life so she could watch over Bulma if only a bit longer. Venus wasn't suppose to live past her tenth birthday because she lacked a very important piece of jewelry called a Ka.

Without it, her soul could not stay within her body, a side effect of her biological father's race. Being a demi-Saiyan prolonged her life if only a little. So she had selflessly given her mother all of her remaining ki to prolong her life. Azel had lived till Bulma hit twenty, then she finally rested.

Bunny missed her. She missed having intellectual conversations with her, but right now, the things going on with Vegeta and Bulma were interesting her too…

Speaking of the two, she peered out the window and saw the two landing. She was about to go and greet them with a drink… but then…

She saw her. Her blue eyes opened wide as she stared, tears falling in sudden revelation. Of course she saw the others land as well, but…

"Venus," She whispered, "Oh Venus…"

She stepped lively as she came outside and stared at her, her eyes watering as she looked at her.

"Oh! Oh deary! Venus!" She whispered as she lightly reached up to touch Venus face.

"Hello Bunny-chan," Venus laughed, "It's good to see you again."

"Oh baby!" Bunny cried as she pulled her in to her hold, "You came back! And-and-and…" She looked at Radditz, Turles, and Nappa, "You brought back such strapping young men!"

Radditz took a step back as Mrs. Briefs laid her eyes one the three of them. Turles shivered, but Nappa threw her a big smile as his tail whipped around once or twice before wrapping around his waist.

"Oh Mom," Bulma sighed, "Venus is alive again and you think about the other Saiyans we brought back?"

"Well, of course, dear, but if these are Saiyans, I will have to start cooking a lot earlier!"

"Mom…" Bulma sighed.

"Yes dear?"

"Never mind."

Bunny took Venus by the hands and began to chat happily with her, but not before inviting the Saiyans into her house.

"I'm sure all of you will love it here!" She told them as she chatted happily, "We have plenty of room for you so please don't think that you are encroaching. Just pick one of the rooms that has an open door."

"I will pick your rooms," Vegeta corrected, "I am not about to have you causing trouble. Come with me."

Bulma stopped him before he could leave.

"Hey, this is my house, I am coming too!"

"These are _my_ men."

"_My_ house! _My_ rules or do you want to see if I don't shut off the GR, hmm?"

"You insufferable woman! You will not order me around!"

Bulma puffed out her cheeks as she glared at him, "Don't think I've forgotten my previous threat!"

Vegeta growled as he glowered at her before biting out a "fine, do whatever you want."

He started marching into the hall with Bulma happily on his heels. He turned around when he realized no one else was following.

"Well? Are you going to stand there like morons all day or are you going to _follow_?"

"Right," Radditz said as he followed long.

Turles sighed, this was the reason he _left_. Nappa quickly flirted with Bunny before leaving. Venus stayed behind with Bunny.

"Oh, well," Bunny said with a giggle, "Finally one that isn't such a prude."

"Bunny-chan," Venus laughed lowly, "Aren't you married?"

"Why yes dear and I would never betray Trunks that way," She paused though before smiling, "But he says that as long as I keep my hands to myself I can flirt all I want, plus he's a Saiyan male. If he isn't a prude, he must have had a mate."

She giggled happily as she started cooking dinner.

"Oh Bunny-chan." Venus laughed herself, "I wonder how we are going to keep you from all the heroes when you finally get the Grand Kai's world."

"Delicious men all buff and ripped?" Bunny asked, "Oh just send me now."

"I am not going to merely to spare them from the humiliation of running away from a little blonde woman." Venus said with a teasing smile.

Both began to laugh happily.

* * *

Radditz couldn't take it anymore. He got up from his bed and left his room, wandering about the large compound in the middle of the night. He wasn't use to having his own bed. He usually had to share with Nappa just because the Saiyans were the dogs of Freiza. He use to share with Turles, but the oaf had gone off and found himself some trouble without them.

That wasn't surprising for Turles really, he was like that. He liked things that changed constantly and were unpredictable. That was why he was dangerous.

Vegeta had taught them through ciphering memories through their mental connection how to sense ki and repress ki. It was actually really handy. Radditz wondered how a backwatered place like this one could have thought up such a technique, though he shouldn't call it backwatered anymore. Vegeta seemed content with this world. Radditz didn't think he would be leaving anytime soon and Radditz was keen on just following suit with his prince.

Someone had to watch out for him. He was halfway surprised that Vegeta hadn't wounded himself terrible or gotten sick. He was usually the one reminding him to eat and rest. Vegeta was a genius and a great warrior, but he tended to forget to actually take care of himself. That had become Radditz's job since the time Nappa had not noticed Vegeta walking around with a limp for a week when Vegeta was eight.

He wasn't too sure about this place though, but he really was interested in this female. She was picking fights with Vegeta and he was going right along with it. He didn't remind her of her place or anything. Radditz knew that hitting women was frowned upon, but the Royalty were given special rights to do with those beneath them as they pleased.

So the only way to rid him of his curiosity was to talk to said woman. She wasn't hard to find since she seemed to have no clue on repressing her ki like Vegeta had taught them. She was up too, which was convenient.

She was in a different kitchen than that crazy cop-a-feel-when-no-one-else-is-paying-attention blonde that he was forbidden from hurting just as the other members of the household. What was worse was that there had been a witness and it was her mate. He cared not in the least, actually, he seemed to think it funny.

Radditz pulled his thoughts away from that as he approached the door, the smell of something delicious penetrating his senses. He paused for a moment to enjoy the smell but pressed on.

She didn't seem to notice him as he entered so he was careful to wait till whatever she was holding on the hot pan was set down before clearing his throat to get her attention.

She whipped around and stared at him, but didn't let out a sound.

"Radditz," She said as she turned back around, "Did I wake you? I know your room is right above here, so I didn't-"

"I have not been in my room for a least an hour of your time," Radditz said as he slowly entered the kitchen.

"Oh," Bulma blinked as she looked back up at him, "So what brings you here?"

Radditz spent no time dancing around the subject, "You, actually. I am curious as to what you have done to our prince. He seems calmed. You didn't do that, did you?"

"Calmed? He's just as restless as he's always been," Bulma waved her hand at him dismissively, "He can't sit still for his life. He has to be doing something. If it's not training, then he's strengthening his mind, if he's not doing either of those two, he's either picking a fight with me or planning something to annoy me."

She pulled something off the pan, taking a bite of the flat thing before looking at him and pulling one off for him, "Want one? I felt like making cookies."

Radditz blinked, "You are offering to _share_ your food with me?"

"Don't Saiyans do that?" Bulma questioned, "Cause Venus's mother always shared her food with me, in fact, she liked to bake."

"Saiyans don't share." Radditz told her, "If a Saiyan does share it is of three reasons: one, they have total trust for said person and offer them food as a sign of complete trust; two, they are mates; or three, the older one sees the person they are sharing their food with as their offspring."

"Oh," Bulma blinked, "Yeah, well I guess Az saw me as her other daughter, because she always picked the best of her food and gave it to me to eat as well as Venus when she was little."

She held out the cookie for him still, "Humans do share their food though, so don't think too deeply into it."

"I will take note of it," Radditz nodded, accepting the cookie and eating slowly as in to savor the only one he had received.

"He has calmed." He told her, returning to the original subjected.

"I'm sorry, what?" Bulma questioned.

"You said that the prince was restless, but that was not what I had meant. His heart use to burn with anger and animosity, but it has calmed remarkably. He's always will be restless, but that is because it's his nature."

Bulma handed him another cookie as she watched him, "So, you are saying he has changed?"

"He has a different air to him," Radditz nodded, "And it is frightening and exhilarating all in one. It reminds me of my sire."

Bulma was now officially interested, "How so? I mean, what did your dad have about him that make Vegeta similar now?"

"My…" He paused of a minute thinking of different word, "father was a very lax man. He lived to fight and he was good at it. Nothing bothered him. His heart was calm and thus he was dangerous."

"Why is that?"

"Men who are angry are easy to predict," Radditz said as he finished off the second cookie, "But men with calm hearts are difficult to predict. Hit the right chord and they can be lethal."

"So, Vegeta has become calmed and thus since he can think clearly, he becomes more dangerous when he gets into a fight?"

"Correct, little one," Radditz nodded, "He has become calmed, his soul burns perhaps even more brighter in a different way. The passions of his heart become his strengths."

"Oh." Bulma paused, handing him another cookie, "You're different than I thought you'd be."

Radditz took the cookie, but with a questioning look, "How so?"

"You are nicer. I thought you would be as cruel and mean as you were the day you landed here. But you are levelheaded and you see things differently than Vegeta."

"The prince and I were raised differently. I was raised by my mother, who worked in the hospital all day and thus had me following her all around as she went about taking care of her patients, while the prince was with his mother then father, learning everything that was possible in such a short time. Their Majesties seemed to predict that they were short on time."

"So," Bulma blinked as she handed him yet another of her cookies, "You are what; a medic?"

"In a way," Radditz shrugged, "I know more about those sort of things than my brother Saiyans. I have just gotten use to that fact."

He took the cookie, eating it slowly as he did. Bulma began to laugh after watching him a bit longer.

"What is so funny, little one?"

"It's just the way you eat," She giggled as she pointed to his still existing cookie, "Vegeta eats his food quickly, Az ate the same way, and Goku eats like it is his very last meal, getting everything messy! You are sitting there and slowly chewing on your food. I noticed at dinner you ate slower as well."

Radditz smiled at her keen observation skills, "Yes, all Saiyans have their own way of eating, I guess. Prince Vegeta eats quickly and with much grace because he would have been trying to get back to whatever business he had in the palace as prince if it had existed long enough. He was raised to eat with gusto. Nappa had to keep up with his charge. Kakarrott was never taught, thus probably looks like a pig with a trough. I on the other hand have no where to be and would like to savor my food before I move on eventually. You should watch Turles sometime, he's the most graceful eater I know. He can be shoving it all down his throat and make it look like a work of art."

"So Turles is your… cousin right?"

"Yes, I assume you are wondering about why he looks like Kakarrott? It is the genetics of the family. Saiyans have kept the bloodline pure, for what reason, I don't know, because it makes the gene pool smaller. One trait we have inherited is actually looking similar. Families are easily told apart by how they look. I took my mother's looks, Kakarrot took on our father's. Vegeta took on the ageless face of all our Royalty. His father looked the same as his father and his father looked like his father and so on and so on." Radditz explained in a relaxed manner as he waved his hand lazily.

"Okay, so Vegeta looks like his dad?"

"Only shorter and without the goatee." Radditz said with a smile, "But it was his mother he inherited his height from. Her genes were stronger in that sense. You should see his little brother, smallest little thing I have ever seen, even worse than Her Majesty."

"He has a brother?"

"Yes, Tarble. He was exiled shortly before Vegeta-sei was destroyed. He was a rare kind, adverse to fighting. I know little of him." Radditz noticed that she had seemed saddened, so he immediately went on to the thought that had been bouncing in his head, "Prince Vegeta has been taking care of himself properly, I hope. He hasn't hurt himself or gotten ill, right?"

Bulma knew these were taboo questions about Vegeta, so she answered as vaguely to the truth as she could get. She had always sucked at lying straight face like this.

"Nothing we can't handle here." She said in a dismissing tone, offering him the last of her cookies.

He didn't take it, instead he looked at her with worry, "So he has hurt himself, hasn't he?"

"Who is Vegeta if he isn't out there training in extreme conditions to push him into Awakened One status?" Bulma asked him rhetorically.

"I see," Radditz dipped his head, "He's doing it again."

"He hasn't hurt himself for months actually," Bulma notified him, "He's been good about coming to meals and resting."

Radditz looked at her with a horrified look, "What did you _do_ to Prince Vegeta to _make_ him do that?"

"I turned off his GR after a allotted time." Bulma said offhandedly, "He was angry at first, but he slowly got over it."

"What's a GR?"

Bulma grinned, "Trust me, you'll be finding out tomorrow no doubt. Vegeta will probably want to see where you guys stand. No doubt lead you to that room incase things get out of hand."

For a strange reason, Radditz felt like shivering again. He decided to go to his last thought.

"The Halfing-"

"Venus," Bulma interjected.

"Venus, then. Where does she fit into all this then? She already seems to know about concealing ki and she also seems to be stronger than most of us, perhaps rivaling the prince in power, but I don't see how she came to be."

"According to what I have learned of Azel," Bulma said as she began to clean up her mess, "She was raped by Zarbon constantly. Venus is the outcome. She came to Earth when she was still in early stages of her pregnancy."

She opened a cabinet and pulled a picture out, handing to Radditz, "That's what Azel looked like."

"So she kept the child?" Radditz asked as he stared at the acidic wounds, "She poured poison down herself."

"To probably discourage Zarbon. Yes, she said that anything that had survived her body purging itself deserved life."

"A noble woman." Radditz nodded, handing back the picture, "For not only mothering the child, but for living here. Most Saiyans can't adapt to a new culture very easily."

"Oh," Bulma blinked, "What about you guys?"

"Prince Vegeta, Turles, and I were raised planet hopping. Purging it, yes, but we were given some down time beforehand. I personally enjoyed researching medical practices before destroying a place. I felt like it might help in the future."

"Did it?"

"Every time."

The clock struck the hour and Radditz decided to leave the woman in peace. He got up, thanked her for the food and wandered to Turles's room. He was up too.

"Can't sleep can you?" Radditz teased.

"Shut up," Turles growled, scooting over, "Don't get any funny ideas cousin. It has become a weakness needing another body in order to sleep."

Radditz yawned, shaking off his armor and removing his boots, "We both need down time and both of us like someone to watch our backs, even in sleep."

"Shut up so I can go to sleep."

Both slept easier with someone else there.

* * *

Bulma had been very interested in what Radditz had said. He was different than what he had appeared to be when he thought he was going to have to purge the planet. He wasn't angry in the least, in fact, he was really smart despite his brother being his opposite.

She slowly made her way up to the library. It might have been late, but she knew he was awake. She had given Radditz most of the cookies, but she had saved a few for him. She brought it up with a glass of milk.

Vegeta looked up from the table he was hunching over, reading. He stared at her, then at her cookies.

"I suppose you want something?"

"Just company," Bulma said as she sat across from him and pushed the glass of milk and plate of cookies at him, "I already had mine."

"Talked to Radditz?" He questioned, taking a cookie and eating it.

"Yep," She beamed happily, "He's really nice."

"Saiyans are not _nice_, Onna. He was curious at best. He is the most charismatic of us, but the weakest as well. I will push him to his limits tomorrow and see where I can get him."

He paused as he glanced at her, "You don't know anything about ki, do you?"

"None," Bulma shrugged, "I know its what you guys use, but I have no clue about it otherwise."

"Which is why you aren't suppressing it," Vegeta sighed, swallowing another cookie, "Hold still Onna."

Bulma felt a swarm of sensations hit her almost immediately. It felt as if she was experiencing a memory, but at the same time, only gaining the knowledge and experience from it. Slowly Vegeta's mind pulled back.

"Suppress your ki," Vegeta told her, sipping on the milk.

She shocked herself when she found not only could she sense it now, but she could also suppress it.

"How…" She trailed off.

"When short on time or otherwise impossible for the person to learn properly in a given time, Saiyans can cipher memories into their pack mates and teach it to them via mental link. We usually learn from scratch, since its practically cheating, but I don't think you could learn how to do so in a few days time. It takes months to teach it to someone who doesn't have a knack for ki." Vegeta explained, "So don't think I am being kind or considerate, I just don't have the time to teach you properly."

Bulma smiled, "Right Vegeta."

"I mean it, Woman," Vegeta said testily.

Bulma decided not to push his buttons again today, "Alright. Hey, since I am technically in your pack… Does that mean that I have to make mental connections with the other people in your pack?"

"It would be… wise," Vegeta bit out in disappointment. He wanted to be the only one she was connected with, but it would defeat the purpose of reviving his men if they couldn't communicate with her.

"Alright," Bulma nodded, "Well, I'll be going to bed then. Goodnight Vegeta."

"Goodnight." Vegeta said peering back down at the book he was reading.

Bulma's curiosity got the better of her, she peered over to see if she could see the title of the book on the upper left corner of the odd page.

"Your reading 'Moby Dick'?"

The book was pulled out of her sight. He was not looking up though either. She must have embarrassed him to find out he was actually civilized enough to read fine literature.

"I'm sorry, I was just curious. I thought it was a lovely story. Have you read a 'Tale of Two Cities' or 'The Great Gasby'?"

"Gasby was an interesting story, but it was hard to get into. It was a very slow beginning, much like 'Wuthering Heights'."

"You read 'Wuthering Heights'?"

"I have read a lot of books during my duration. I had to do something with my time when I couldn't train." Vegeta stated, pulling the book out again and continuing to read.

"'Pride and Prejudice'?"

"Interesting."

"Did you read the works of Edgar Allen Poe?"

"I though his view of humans to be interesting. He portrayed the darkness of their hearts in a blood chilling way." Vegeta said offhandedly.

"You like reading, don't you?" Bulma asked, smiling as he glared at her.

"I am not an idiot, nor will I lower myself to being uncultured, even if it is the human culture." Vegeta told her before lowering his eyes to his book once more, "Now be off, I wish to finish this."

"Try 'Red Badge of Courage' next," Bulma said with a smile, "Maybe 'The Lord of the Flies' after that. Don't worry, I won't tell."

"Shut up, it is hard to read when you are talking." Vegeta said in a non aggressive tone, making her know he was teasing her instead of being angry.

"Goodnight Vegeta."

"Good_night_ Onna."

Bulma left the room and headed back into hers. She went to her own trove of classic books that she kept in her room and pulled one from her book self. She prepped for bed and laid back on her bed, pulling up the book.

"Call me Ishmale," She began.

Soon, she had drifted off to sleep with her own copy of 'Moby Dick' in her hands. She had known things were going to get busy and Vegeta would need to pay more attention to his men, so she felt a little closer reading what he was reading.


	15. Chapter 15

Hey!

Two more chapters...

Wow... sad...

So, anyways, here is that answer to how in the world Bunny Briefs is going to do it! Hope you enjoy it was well as spring break. Tell me what you think and maybe what made you laugh? I like knowing what others find funny.

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 15

_Beware of Blonde with Gun  


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_

**Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ... I wish I did... I really do.**

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Bulma was glad to be hidden in her little lab. She tinkered with her things as she took a bite of an apple. She had stocked up on some food for times like these and peanut butter and apple slices were good for killing the edge off of her stomach. She was not about to go up there into all that chaos for something _decent_ to eat.

Not when there were three curious Saiyans trying her patience. Vegeta had been quiet in his curiosity, only asking when he _had_ to and handling everything like it would break easily. Once he knew it was durable, he treated it as so, but never beforehand.

Nappa broke _everything_, Turles pulled everything apart to see how it worked, and Radditz, though extremely polite for a Saiyan, asked about fifty questions for each thing he was curious about. Her mother and father loved it, of course, finding all their new houseguest a fun adventure, but Bulma was getting tired of it.

Venus holed herself up in her old room, only leaving to visit with Bunny and the frequent visits to their library. Bulma figured she was catching up on her learning. She had been able to read her letters when she was four, so she must have decided to study as her mother would have had her do.

Bulma decided she would just wait this phase of their time here out in her lab, thank-you-very-much! She tinkered with one of the bots Vegeta had given her after he had… complete fried the interworking of her battle droid.

_Well_, Bulma mused halfheartedly, _He did keep his promise. I could recognize it._

She just had to replace the entire wares of the bot.

She lifted her head quickly to check the calendar. Today was officially a week since she had holed herself in here. She figured she could take a break from the broken droid and go see how Vegeta was handling his very curious monkeys.

She was hopped up, and readied to leave the lab when the phone rang. She curiously wondered who it was, only a handful knowing her private number. She knew it could have been Yamcha, but had a feeling that it wasn't. He wouldn't call her, he would try to talk to her in person. He was never one for phones.

"Hello?" She asked cautiously as she answered it.

"Blue!" That all too familiar voice sang out in triumph, "Boy, am I glad you answered, this crock is only givin' me five minutes to make a freaking phone call!"

"Launch?" Bulma gasped in surprise, "I haven't heard for you since forever! How are you?"

"I would be better if this wasn't my one personal phone call in the slammer," Launch said in a disgusted tone, but Bulma knew it wasn't towards her, she must be the blonde Launch.

"You're in jail! But I thought Tien said that you headed off to No Man's Land!"

"I _did!_ But apparently I'm too much for the little daisies so they _made_ a jailhouse just for me. Ha! The pussies!"

Bulma couldn't help but deadpan, "They made a jail in No Man's Land to put _you_ in it?"

"Yeah!" Launch scoffed angrily, "Listen, I don't have a lot of time, but I was hopin' for the sake of whatever friendship we still may have that you could come and pay bail."

Bulma sighed. She couldn't leave Launch in there, what if the dark blue haired version came out? She was too gentle to keep in a jail in No Man's Land. She did have a good relationship with Launch when they were younger and she had been one of the few of her friends who actually showed up to grieve with her for Azel. She had never known her, but both halves agreed that sometimes you just need someone there to support you in your sorrows.

"I'll come, pay your bail, and see what I can do about getting them to drop the charges," Bulma finally said.

"Thanks Blue! You are a saint! And not even the sissy kind! Hurry up though cause I have no clue when I will sneeze and scare the hell out of my other half."

"Bye Blondie," Bulma said as she hung up the phone.

Well, at least now something interesting was happening other than what she was avoiding.

Bulma wasted no time heading up to her room and taking a shower. She changed into something that was well modest, but enough to discourage men from toying with her. She sighed as she looked at her sword. She had several, each being made by Azel, but the one she was looking at was actually sharpened. She hooked it onto her vehicle before she capsulated it and readied to go.

She tried to be good at tiptoeing past the GR room, hoping not to be bothered by the Saiyans as she tried to make it out to No Man's Land.

"Where are you going?"

Busted. She tired not to look suspicious as she turned around to face Vegeta. He had sweatpants on and a muscle shirt, a towel around his neck. Apparently he had sensed her trying to sneak by and came out to see why she was being so quiet.

"I gotta go pay bail for an old friend," Bulma said with a smile, trying not to make it sound bad.

"Bail, as in, you are going to a prison to pay for someone to get out?"

Apparently, he knew what that was.

"It's a jailhouse actually," Bulma said deflated, "Look, I gotta go get her out before something bad happens."

"And where are you heading?" He arched his brow, looking at her keenly.

She slowly felt like a child being caught with her hand in a cookie jar. She played with her fingers as she looked at the floor, muttering the answer. Vegeta looked a little too calm for her after she muttered No Man's Land.

"So," Vegeta began with a dangerously low tone, "You thought you could sneak off to pay bail for an old friend in a dangerous place where there is supposedly no law? And you think that's okay?"

"I can take care of myself," Bulma huffed in a last ditch attempt _not_ to feel really stupid.

"Do not move, I will be back with someone to escort you," Vegeta said, turning around sharply as he tried to control his temper.

"I don't need a bodyguard! Vegeta! I am a big girl and I have been going out on my own since I was sixteen!" Bulma roared.

She could feel small and childish under his stare, but she was not about to be treated like a little child that _had_ to have a hand to hold. It made her burn with anger. She didn't like feeling like a little girl. Azel had brought her up to be independent and her mother brought her up to be adventurous. She was not about to have that stifled by anyone, including Vegeta.

"I am not about to have you gallivanting out in a place called _No Man's Land_ without an escort," Vegeta whipped around, roaring right back at her, "You are a _human_."

"What's wrong with that? So what if I am a human? I can still outthink, outwit, and outsmart _anyone_!" She took a step closer, poking him in the chest with an angry scowl, "Even you!"

"But can you defend yourself when your brain fails you?" Vegeta shot back, using the small height advantage he had over her to tower over her.

"I _can_ defend myself!" Bulma protested, "I did grow up with a bunch of fighters! Do you think I don't know how to at least _defend_ myself?"

"Like you did so well with that Weakling?"

Vegeta saw her flinch. He mentally berated himself for bringing up that taboo. She distanced herself, fighting hard not to cry at his words. She wasn't about to prove him right. She turned around and marched the other way, while Vegeta just stood there.

He wasn't about to hurt her more than he already did. She was retreating from him so he turned back to the GR and paused it. He already could feel her getting on her bike as her thoughts struggled to be just hers.

"Hey Vegeta!" Nappa yelled, the only one who didn't always call him by his proper title, "Why'd you turn that off? I was having fun with the little cousins."

Turles looked peeved while Radditz looked relieved. Apparently Nappa had been working harder than them and surprised them with a heavier gravity weight. Both were on the floor while Nappa looked proud at himself.

"I'll show you _fun_!" Turles growled, jumping at Nappa and tackling the eldest member.

Both began to wrestle with each other.

"Nappa," Vegeta said in his serious tone.

Nappa held Turles away as he angrily yelled at the man for being impossibly strong than him. He looked at Vegeta in a curious glance.

"I want you to go find the blue haired Onna and watch over her. Do not let her see you, do not let her sense you. You are there to watch and if she gets into trouble, _you_ will need to rescue her from it. Understood?"

"Uh," Nappa blinked a couple times in shock, "Yeah, sure Vegeta. I can do that."

He easily shoved Turles off and got up, heading out to do so.

_If you see this man,_ an image of the human with the scars on his face flashed into Nappa's mind, _I don't care if she sees you, but get her away from him without him realizing it is you._

_Knock him out before he can figure it out, got it._

Nappa walked out, not caring in the slightest that he still wore only the work shorts he had been given. But, he did put on a shirt. He didn't have much clothing from before being revived, so he was forced to make do with what he got. Bunny-chan said she was going to have to call a personal old friend who was a famous stylist to measure them for clothes. Apparently, most men were not as hulking as Saiyans were.

He was rather excited actually. Oh, he could care less if he had to get fitted, he had done so during his time in Vegeta-sei to dress properly for special occasions in the castle. He was the personal guard of _Vegiit_ so he had to look nice. No, his excitement would come from those prudish boys of his. Turles, Radditz, and best of all Vegeta. He enjoyed watching Vegeta squirm only because it was so hard to do.

He took to the skies, using as low amount of ki as possible and flew off to find the female Vegeta deemed 'Woman'. With this new ki ability, he was able to find her in no time.

She was riding a bike, weaving in and out of traffic before hitting the lone road. Nappa watched as she traveled. Never wavering as she kept driving. She was almost into town when she pulled over, cutting her engine and looked around. Nappa wondered what she was doing.

"I know Vegeta sent you, so you could at least land. I don't want you popping up suddenly and ruining the whole idea of _laying low_."

Nappa blinked. Did she really know that he was here?

"I know you are here! I can sense you," She called out after another minute.

Nappa grumbled as he landed, so much for following orders. He was so fast at landing, Bulma had whirled around when she heard someone behind her.

"You? He sent you?"

"Expecting someone else?" Nappa grunted, flickering his tail out a moment before wrapping it around himself.

"Half surprised that you're not Radditz."

"Radditz is training. He's the lowest in our group and must train until he reaches Vegeta's standard."

"You don't call him Prince," Bulma noted as she capsulated her vehicle, but not before strapping the sword to her waist and putting a cloak on, to hid her figure and the sword now that they were at No Man's Land.

"It's a liberty I have been given," Nappa told her before eyeing the sword, "What's with the pointy stick?"

Bulma scowled at him, "It's a katana, a sword. I just want it on my person to… discourage others from picking fights with me. We are, after all, in a land that is suppose to be lawless."

"Suppose?"

"My friend was too much for even them, they locked her up in a jailhouse that they built." Bulma explained as she began to walk, heading towards the location that the jail was.

She had looked it up on her satellite computer on her bike.

"So, this friend ain't a goody goody?"

"Half of her is, Half of her isn't. Depends on what hair color she's got." Bulma said cryptically, pausing before adding, "You just got to meet her. It makes sense afterwards."

Nappa grunted his approximation. He walked with her, glaring at the men who dared eye her like she was a piece of meat. Normally, he didn't care, but he realized soon after being revived, that Vegeta was interested in this little one. She had done something to him and Nappa could see the positive changes that were occurring. If anything, he thought this new Vegeta would finally be a King even better than his predecessor.

Strength was one thing, but the boy failed to listen to anyone after his parents' deaths. His heart had grown stubborn and he wasn't into listening to helpful hints. Now, he was not only listening and responding well, he was assisting in strengthening his men and teaching him what he knew. Something had changed, and Nappa had a feeling it was this woman.

"What did you do to Vegeta?" Nappa finally asked, "He's not what he use to be."

"Not you too," Bulma groaned, "Look, I do not know what you are talking about. Vegeta is the same! He still picks fights, he still trains all hours of the day, and he still will always be a grump!"

Nappa chuckled, "You didn't know the Vegeta I did. He's nothing like he was."

"Is that bad?"

"No," was all Nappa said, "Not in the least."

Bulma huffed, "Why does everyone this I did it though."

"Call it a Saiya-jin instinct." Nappa shrugged.

The reached the jailhouse by that time and Bulma walked it. It was shoddy and poorly built, but it was a place where the law stood.

"Howdy, I's be guessin' that yous the one commin' in to save ole Blondie, right?" The man at the desk asked, raising an eyebrow, "Never knews she had such interestin' friends."

"Yes, well, I am here to pay her bail." Bulma nodded, "Can we hurry up? I want to be out of this town as fast as possible."

The man chuckled, "There ain't no bail."

"There's no bail. Then how am I suppose to get her out?" Bulma growled, glaring darkly at the man.

"We's don't want 'er gettin' out and startin' trouble again, which she will do right after she gets out of 'ere, little lady."

"Then what do you propose we do about this situation?"

"You's see, I'd already figured it out. I's went and got me lawyer, the money-suckin' scumbag, to write up this here paper." He held it up proudly as she showed it to her.

Bulma snatched it, reading it and growling as she looked back up to the man, "This says that she is to remain the custody of whoever pays her bail. She can't leave their property without them escorting her."

"Or one of yer employees." The man added.

Bulma glared. This man thought of it all. But she couldn't leave Launch in there. Half of her was innocent and half of her might have been guilty but her as a whole was a good close friend of Bulma's.

"Fine," Bulma snapped, "Give me a pen and I'll sign this."

She had already read it and knew the man was too stupid to add anything to it. She had memorized the words and was going over the document again. Nope, nothing. She was handed a pen and she scribbled her name.

"And here's the bail," she said angrily as she put several hundreds on the desk, "Take me to Launch."

"Alrighty," The man hummed, taking the money and hopping out of his chair.

Nappa finally spoke up, "Was that a good idea? I mean, wouldn't it have been better for you to just kill him and take what you want?"

"I don't kill Nappa," Bulma told him, shaking her head, "I try to follow the law. Victory can be accomplished by charismatic ways as well."

Nappa smiled. That was something _Vegiit_ told him constantly. This girl reminded him of his late Queen. He followed behind her, watching her back as they were lead to the next room. The man that had swindled them into a contract whistled happily as he approached the bars.

"Luck- lucky Launch!" He said in a sing song tone, "To have such a friends like this young girl."

Suddenly a blonde woman launched her self from where ever she had been in the room towards the bars the man was near.

"You disgusting half-witted piece of crap! What did you make her do?" She bared her teeth and used her nails as she tried to take a swipe of the man's face.

"Calm down Launch," Bulma said in a calm tone, "Let's get you out and heading back to my place and I'll tell you about the conditions."

Launch looked over a Bulma with a apologetic look, "Sorry Blue, got you into this, but you were the only one I could think would even consider paying bail for the likes of me."

"It's no problem. Everyone needs someone to stand beside them, neh?" Bulma said, motioning for the man to unlock the door.

He did so, keeping clear of the blonde thing as she pranced towards her friend, hugging her happily before looking up.

"What's up with the titan here?"

"I _am_ in No Man's Land," Bulma laughed, "Can you imagine a pretty little thing like myself coming here by myself?"

Launch laughed, "Yeah, actually I can! Remember that time when all the boys were off in their little adventure and we had _ours_?"

Bulma laughed nervously, "I will never let you talk me into _that_ again."

"I drive just fine," Launch snuffed as the two of them walked out arm in arm with Nappa watching keenly. The man staying behind and watching them go.

"You _drive_ like a maniac! I had to keep the rest of those guys off us! Do you know how hard it is to stand on one of those things, let alone keep others off of it?"

"Do you know how hard it was shooting _and_ driving? All you had to do was wave your pretty sword around and bam! Instant victory! You with that sword is like watching a graceful dance, man! I hate girly crap, but you made it look cool!" Launch laughed, tampering with the sword at Bulma's side.

"Hey, watch it!" Bulma yelped, a little too late as Launch snagged the blade.

"Ah, come on Blue!" Launch said as she unsheathed it, the three of them heading for the outskirts of town, "Let me see this beaut! This isn't the one from last time!"

"You took too far of a left and it when flying off the side," Bulma snarled, grabbing back her sword, "This one is the last one Az made before she died!"

Launch paused, "Sorry Blue. I didn't mean anything by it. I just thought it was well crafted."

Bulma smiled proudly at the sword, "It is, Azel made this. Anything she made was unique and powerful."

"Azel," Nappa cut in, the two woman looking at him with a startled expression. They had forgotten he was there, "As in Ze-Azel?"

He looked shocked as he stared down at the sword. Bulma nodded slowly, surprised by his sudden words, "Yeah, that was her. She was my mentor growing up."

He looked at her with wide eyes before nodding, "I see. She was my best friend, you know that?"

"No," Bulma said shaking her head as she turned to face him, "I didn't. She never told me things about her past. She just taught me and helped raise me."

"Did she tell you that she was a Saiyan?"

"A what?" Launch questioned, cutting in, "What are you two talking about?"

"I'll explain it later," Bulma told her, before turning her attention to Nappa, "She never told me, but I know she was a Saiyan. My father told me several months ago."

"I see… the demi-Saiyan girl… is that her…" He was almost afraid of the answer.

"Yes, Venus is her daughter," Bulma nodded, "She was born here on Earth."

Nappa nodded. He turned quiet while they finished walking to the outskirts. Bulma was about to pull out a capsule with her bike when she and Launch were both swooped up.

"I think it would be faster if I just flew," Nappa chortled as he took off into the sky, flying quickly but gracefully into the air.

Launch was hollering with excitement and because Nappa had let her sit on his shoulder, having a good time being free.

"How did you meet her?" Bulma finally asked.

"I was her guardian before I became an Royal elite guardian," Nappa said, "I was also trying very hard to win her affections." He paused for a moment before continuing, "But her heart was unattainable by the likes of me. I ended up mating with her eldest sister. I never regretted it though."

Bulma could tell there was more to the story, but changed subjects, "So why did you become the Royal Guardian?"

"Because I was needed there." He told her.

The conversation stopped and soon Nappa was landing at the front door, quickly setting Launch down and gently setting Bulma down. She thanked him and was about to go in when he stopped her.

"Could… Could I see the sword?"

"Sure," Bulma nodded, undoing its strapping from her waist and holding it up for the large man.

He took it in his hands and pulled the sword from the sheath. He admired it for a moment before putting it back in and handing it back, "A work of art like always. She never let anything hold her back. Thank you."

He entered the house. Bulma saw him vanish around the corner, but not before his tail flickered out in one wave before wrapping back around his waist, under his clothes.

"So, Blue," Launch said, pulling Bulma from her thoughts, "You gonna tell me what's been happenin' while I've been gone? How is ole Tien anyhows? Still a pain in the butt?"

Bulma's forehead crinkled in confusion, "I though you liked Tien."

"Tch," Launch hissed, "It's hard to like a guy who's so much more interested in fighting than being around me. I broke up with him after he forgot about our date that _he_ had set up."

Bulma looked at her apologetically, Launch just waved it off, "It was for the better, Blue."

Bulma nodded, leading her friend into the house and to her kitchen to get her something decent to eat, explaining the whole ordeal she had to sign to get Launch out.

"Kami, girl! You signed _what_?" Launch said in a disbelieving tone, "I have to stay here? But that's not fair to you!"

"Nonsense," Bulma said rolling her eyes, "It would be nice to have some female presence around the place, we are currently being overrun by Saiyans."

It was then that the two of them entered the kitchen. Bulma almost groaned in frustration when she saw Turles standing in front of the fridge, sniffing for food he could eat.

"Goku?" Launch questioned as she looked at the guy.

He turned around, glaring at her.

"Not Goku," Bulma corrected, "This is Turles, he's Goku's cousin. I still have to explain that to you." Bulma sighed, deciding to deal with Turles first, "Why are you in my kitchen?"

"Crazy lady was trying to feel me up," Turles grumbled with a blush, "I am not to be demoted to your dame's little toy whenever she feels like coping a feel."

"She _what_." Bulma growled, ready to go kill her mother, "Is this the first time?"

"I don't know, ask Radditz," Turles said grumpily as he closed the fridge, "Is there _anything_ to eat without having to _go_ to your mother?"

Bulma looked at Launch after thinking it over. She looked upset.

"Oh no, I hate it when she does all the girly crap! Come on Blue!" she pleaded.

"I think I know how you will be making it up for you to stay here," Bulma said with a grin, "That and you really offended Turles when you called him by his cousins name."

She gave her best pouty look as she looked at her friend with mock empathy, "Don't you think you should make it up to him?"

"HELL NO! I don't care who I piss off! I ain't saying sorry to no pussy footed man that looks like that big hearted lovable brat!" Launch yelled, "Not even if he _is_ nothing like goody two shoe's Goku!"

Too late for her, Bulma had already pulled out a feather, promising to explain everything later and with a sneeze and one startled yelp from Turles, the deep blue haired Launch appeared.

"Oh Bulma-chan," she greeted kindly, "How did I get here?"

"I'll tell you later Blue," Bulma laughed as she patted her friends back, "But first could you help me out by cooking for Turles here? He's Son-kun's cousin that has taken residence here. He has a big appetite like Son-kun too."

"Oh," Launch practically lit up like a light, "Anything for you Bulma-chan!"

With that she turned to the kitchen and began to get some food ready. Turles was watching cautiously before mentioning the other Saiyans that might be interested in a meal.

It looked like her mother was cooking for only Venus and Nappa tonight. Turles watched her with curiosity as she made the food, Bulma could see that the sudden change in hair color and personality had interested him. He was making light conversation with her, explaining things about himself and Goku- like they were aliens. Launch just shrugged and said it was no big deal.

Being around the Z fighters all her life had made her immune to surprise. Even when Bulma explained what had happened to her.

"Oh," She said with a sad stare, "I don't mean to be a bother…"

"Oh, no," Bulma laughed, shaking her head no, "You aren't a bother at all, in fact. If you help cook and clean around here, we'll call it even."

"Okay Bulma-chan! I can do that really well! But what about my other Half?"

"She'll be good entertainment for the Saiyans." Bulma said with a giggle, "Keep them on their toes."

Turles wondered what she had meant by that.

Bulma left shortly after writing a note and telling Turles to give it to Launch when she sneezed and left back for her lab. She was going to go back to work for a bit.

She entered the quietness of her lab before screaming out in frustration and throwing herself into a bunch of katas, not caring she was using the lethal sword as she vented. Tears were streaming down her eyes as she remembered what Vegeta had said, letting her wounds heal through her blade. She knew he hadn't meant it like that, but it still had hurt so badly.

* * *

Radditz wiped the sweat from his face as he continued to work on his speed. The others had gone to bed hours ago after they had enjoyed their meals. Luckily a new girl had appeared and was cooking for them. She was eating pleasantly with them for half the meal before sneezing. Turles was the only one who didn't look surprised. He handed her a note and she read it. She practically threw a tantrum before finishing her meal quickly, giving all of them the stink eye and heading upstairs.

Turles had fallen out of his chair laughing at her. She interested him and Radditz didn't know if Turles being interested was a good thing. She came back down later with dark blue hair and apologized before explaining her split personality. Vegeta and he had exchanged glances and thoughts.

_Who in the hell had the woman brought home?!?!_

Again, he could see why Turles was interested.

But he was still up, training. He knew it would be ridiculous since he was just the weakest link of the pack, but that didn't mean he wouldn't give his all for his pack.

The sudden power down of the machine startled him, but he managed not to crash into the roof at the sudden decrease in pull.

"One like yourself shouldn't be up all night doing something like this," the silvery voice of Venus spoke.

He turned to see her at the door, closing it and the room turning back on. He braced himself just in time. He cursed quietly when he saw that this gravity had no effect of her.

"Are you here to mock me too?" He growled as he glared at her, "I already know I am the weakest of my pack. Turles might have been weakened by the Tree of Might taking back its given power when he died, but I know I am still the weakest."

He clenched his hands as he glared down at the floor.

He heard the clicking of her boots as she approached. She was barely smaller than he was, him standing at six foot one.

"No," She said in a calm tone as she put her one of her fingers under his jaw and pulled his head up to look at her, "I merely was going to ask if you would like a sparring partner."

He looked at her confused, "But you've never trained with us."

"That doesn't mean I'm not trained," Venus said, smiling, "Fighting is what I was raised on. I lived in Grand Kai's world and was raised by the finest of heroes. They took me in and trained me. I know what it means to gain strength, trust me."

"Trust is something that must be earned."

"Alright then, give me the opportunity to let you trust me."

With that, she quickly moved into a kata and began the fight, Radditz struggling to fight back as she laid it on him.

* * *

Vegeta stood outside her lab door. He knew that she was in there. He felt her in there, but he didn't know what to say. Nappa had come back to him, ruffling his hair like he had when Vegeta was just a little child and told him that he had been caught.

Vegeta had chewed him out for that. But Nappa seemed too quiet. He hadn't ruffled Vegeta's hair like that since his mother was alive.

"Vegeta," Nappa had started, "I need to go and find something. I will be good, but this is something I need to do alone."

Vegeta didn't know what it was the giant man was looking for, but he figured that Nappa would be careful, so he allowed him to go.

A while later Radditz came in with a strange request, which was why he was standing here now.

"I want to go see my brother and make peace with him." That was Radditz's request.

So here he was, at Bulma's door, no longer able to avoid her because what Radditz had asked for was impossible to say no to, and trying to see if she wouldn't help him smooth things over.

However, he was just _standing_ at her door, not moving not entering, just _standing_ there like a buffoon. He felt embarrassed at his slip of tongue and didn't know how to go about it. Apologizing straight out was not his thing. He just didn't know what to do.

"Come in or leave, Vegeta. Make up your mind," Bulma's voice called out from the lab.

He cursed himself for teaching her how to sense ki. It was humiliating to be caught stuck like this. He walked in, trying to look as dignified as he could.

She was huddled over a piece of machinery, not bothering to look up at him. He could tell she was still slightly agitated at him, but was over it for the most part.

"Do you want something?" Bulma asked, not looking up from her work.

"Radditz inquired if it was possible to go speak to Kakarrott to make peace with him and his brat." Vegeta said as he looked about her lab.

He had never been in here before. She didn't look like she had much in here but a bed and a fridge that was very puny. How did she get enough to eat? He knew she had been hiding down here but how little had she been getting to eat?

"Oh," Bulma pulled away looking surprised, "Sure, I'll help." She paused when she saw him looking at the fridge, "Are you _still_ hungry? There isn't much in there, but you can have it."

Vegeta snapped his gaze back on her, "What have _you_ been eating then if there is so little in there? Did you even eat dinner?"

Bulma shrugged, "I don't remember. But I will call Chichi and schedule coming down there, so you can go now."

Vegeta knew what she meant by not remembering. It meant that she _hadn't_ eaten. There was probably no food in that fridge. She was dodging answering his question by telling him to leave.

He left alright, but not without her under his arm letting out frustrated cries of indignantcy.

"Vegeta!" Bulma growled as she struggled within his hold, "Let me down! I am busy!"

"No." He told her pulling her along and into her kitchen, all the time ignoring how she kicked and protested.

He set her down on a chair, and pulled something out of the fridge and heated it up, all the while Bulma's indignations had been paused as she just stared at him with wide eyes. He pulled it out once he knew it was warmed and set it down before her.

"Eat it," he told her as he eyed her annoyed like.

She looked at him again before looking at the food, then back at him. His tail was swishing behind him as he crossed his arms and looked away from her. She could see that he was embarrassed by something, but she was really surprised by this act of kindness.

"Thank you," She said, taking a bite and chewing it.

"Whatever," Vegeta huffed, trying to seem that he didn't care, "It wouldn't do to let you get away with something you don't let _me_ get away with."

Bulma knew that wasn't true. She ate quickly, thinking as she looked at her plate. Vegeta was still standing there, watching to make sure she ate. Bulma decided that since they were alone, she could tease with him again. Usually, there was always someone else around and she couldn't flirt like she use to. Vegeta was easily embarrassed by PDAs, so she was considerate to that.

But no one was here. She suddenly remembered what Azel had told her in her little note and her promise to herself about making Vegeta not so prudish around her. She quickly formed an idea in her head.

"Vegeta," She said, finishing up her food and grabbing an apple, taking a bite to try to clean her palette.

"What Onna?" Vegeta growled as he approached her.

She smiled as she looked him in the eyes, he didn't know why, but he froze when she looked at him like that. She set the apple down as she continued to lock eyes with him.

"I wanted to thank you," she purred as she closed in on him.

"I don't need your thanks," Vegeta said as he stepped back, "I didn't do it for _you_."

He didn't know why he was cowering like this against a weak woman, but there was something about the way she was eyeing him.

"That's a lie," Bulma said putting her face in his with a coy look, "And you know it."

He was about to rebuke her for even catching him in such a lie when suddenly she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pressed her lips against his. He stood stock still as he felt her press her lips against his and _was that her tongue!?!?!_

His mind seemed to have shut down. She pulled away, patting his face gently as she backed away.

"Arigato, Vegeta-kun," She said in a seductive tone, "But next time I expect a kiss back."

She winked, leaving the room with a hop and a skip. Vegeta sat down against the wall, staring at the door. His face was dusted pink and his heart felt like it was trying to break free from his chest. He ran his fingers through his hair over and over again.

What the hell was she doing to him?


	16. Chapter 16

Hey!

One more chapters...

Wow...

Tell me what you think! I love to hear! Especially with this last part.

So without further ado:

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 16

_Confrontations  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ... I wish I did... I really do.**

* * *

Nappa awakened slowly. He was never in any hurry to get up, the years were finally getting to him and though he wouldn't be slowing down anytime soon, he could feel his age. He was still in his prime, but with all these young pups about, he felt like an old man.

How many years had it been since he last saw his Zezal? Or Ze-Azel?

Too long.

He finally pushed himself up, stretching his massive limbs as he walked over to the dresser and pulling out a pair of everyday clothing. Bunny finally had fitted them all. It was hilarious watching the poor stylist trying to measure Radditz and Turles. He finally had to help by holding them in a lock so that the poor stylist could take their measurements. Neither boys even came out of their rooms for the rest of the day. According to Bunny, Vegeta fit clothes just fine because of his height, so he didn't need to get fitted unless for a very special occasion.

If Nappa understood correctly, Vegeta was going to get that fitting much sooner than the boy expected.

He could see it, even if Vegeta could not. He was infatuated with this human. Not only was he infatuated, it was like watching the previous king all over again with Ze-Azel.

He had seen that night she had kissed him. He watched from the opposite entrance and seen how long Vegeta had sat in the dark kitchen trying to compose himself after she did so. Nappa didn't know what she had done, but if he had to guess, it was a sign of deep affection.

And it had frazzled Vegeta.

He could see that she was the one for his prince. He could see the signs. He couldn't help but feel a little sad that Vegeta would never know the touch of his own kind, but their reign as terrors of the galaxies was over and their time of peace had come.

Bulma was an interesting woman. He had spent only few short days with her, instantly connecting with the wiry woman. He could tell that she was almost identical to Ze-Azel. She was adventurous and a free spirit. Her mind was sharp and she was elegant in her movements. She was confident in things she was certain of and did not budge when it came to doing what she wanted. She had befriended him in no time and spent it happily teasing and toying with him playfully, just like Ze-Azel had. She was like his little sister now, even before she had become his pack sister.

She would make a wonderful mate for Vegeta. Nappa knew this, but he also knew Vegeta's pride would keep him from asking. Perhaps, if he had never brought the other Saiyans back to life, he would have, but he did bring them back and had made things awkward between him and the female.

Bunny had said as much at dinner a few nights back when it had been just him and Venus joining her and Dr. Trunks. Bunny was a smart woman, she knew what was going on and had hinted at it during dinner.

Nappa knew it was time to finally sit down and have a talk with the boy- no, the young man. He wasn't a child that had to sleep in the same bed as he anymore. He was able to protect himself now. He didn't need a guardian.

But the blue haired woman needed one.

And he would rise to the occasion once more. Guarding her as he did Ze-Azel before and after she became _Vegiit_. He would also protect the next heir as well.

That was the role in life he had been given and he would fulfill it to its maximum potential.

But right now, he needed to go and get something. Something he knew had to be out there. _It_ was vital to even talking to Vegeta. Without _it_, there would be no reason to talk with him because there would be nothing to show him.

He had to find _it_. He knew that King Vegeta probably had hidden _it_ with Ze-Azel when he had placed her on one of Frieza's escape pods before he went to his death, so now all Nappa had to do was find _it_.

He hoped he could.

* * *

Radditz didn't know why, but he felt as if his stomach wanted to revolt on him, emptying it of all its contents. It wasn't even Bulma's driving that was making him sick.

It was the prospect of what his stronger brother would do to him once he realized he was alive. Stealing one's nephew, no matter what good intentions there had been, was never a wise idea when it backfired. He felt his chest ache in the spot that the green one had shot a hole through him and just when he was about to ask her to turn about, the engine stopped and they were there.

"Here we are!" Bulma said with a smile, "Son's house."

He couldn't feel Goku's ki too close by, but he could _feel_ it and it was powerful.

"I think I want to head back." He said in a low voice.

Oh how in the hell did Venus talk him into this?

She said it would be good for him to make peace with his brother. She had brought it up during one of their late night spars and had pushed the subject till he finally talked about it. And, after pinning him to the ground, looked at him with those golden eyes that glimmered in the red light of the GR and watched how her ears lowered, like a cat being cautious, and told him he should reconcile with him, if only so they could live in the same world without hating each other.

So here he was, dressed in one of his new outfits that was designed more towards a Chinese background like Bulma said Chichi was from and his hair had been combed and braided to give him a proper appearance. He had it slung over his shoulder as to keep it from blowing in the wind during the crazy drive up here.

"You'll be fine," Bulma assured him, getting off the bike and motioning him to do the same, "Chichi is the first one we'll deal with, after that, everything else will fall into place."

He got up, smoothing down his clothes as he prepared for the mate his brother.

He normally didn't fret about his appearance, but lately he had felt the need to be a little more vain. Every time he had seen Venus look at him, he wanted to stand up right, and make sure he was dressed nicely. He felt stupid at times for feeling that way, but he had this need to look nice.

Bulma left the motorcycle out and headed for the door, knocking on it and calling out to Kakarrott's mate.

"Hey! Chichi!!" She said happily as she knocked.

He could hear something being dropped and the quick movements of feet before the door flew open and Bulma was hugged.

"Oh Bulma!" The black haired woman said with a spark of happiness, "You are here!"

"Hey Chi," Bulma laughed, "I'm guessing the boys are driving you nuts?"

Chichi stood upright and rolled her eyes with a unhappy look, "Goku-sa has been spending too much of Gohan's study time _training_ him! I mean, how is my son suppose to be a successful doctor if he isn't studying!"

Radditz didn't know why he did it, but he did.

"Actually, its good for him to stay active when he's young, it helps him learn control and discipline. When he's older, he will calm down and learning will become easier for him."

Bulma shot a worried glance as she saw Chichi glare at this new man.

"B, who is this?" She asked as she glared at the tall man.

Radditz felt a chill run up his spine under her gaze. He suddenly felt smaller than his brother's mate.

"This is someone I wanted you to meet," Bulma said, "He's actually here to talk to you about something."

"And that would be?" Her voice got even more dangerous sounding.

"I… I wanted to apologize," Radditz said, giving a swift bow, "I did something terrible last time I met your son and I wanted to apologize to you and Goku."

"What. Did. You. Do?" Chichi all but snarled.

"My name is Radditz, I am Kak-er-Goku's brother," Radditz said as he looked at her, trying not to look as frightened of the little woman as he was, "I came here to check on him to see if he had purged the planet. When I had come, I saw that he had not. He had not just disobeyed, but he had a family. I took Gohan to try to save his life, but I see now it was a mistake. His father was strong enough to protect his home world."

"YOU!" Chichi roared, remembering that event in time, "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO GOT GOKU KILLED AND MY SON KIDNAPED BY THAT _PICCOLO_!"

"Errrr," Radditz took a nervous step back, "I really don't know what happened after I was killed, but that _could_ of happened. I know Goku did die… so probably?"

"Probably? PROBABLY!" She roared as she grabbed onto his hair and pulled him down to make him face to face with her, "DO YOU KNOW WHAT I WENT THROUGH BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Chi, take it easy," Bulma said as she tried to pry Chichi off of Radditz's hair, "He came here to apologize!"

"APOLOGIZE!" Chichi turned on her, "Do you really think I would forgive him after what he did?!"

"It's not like Goku doesn't screw up all the time and you still forgive him!" Bulma shot back.

"Goku is my husband!"

"And this is Goku's brother!"

"So? What does that mean to me? We don't need another mouth to feed around here! One Saiyan is bad enough!"

"He's not staying here!" Bulma roared back, Radditz finally wrenching his hair free and lifting himself in the air away from the crazy hair-pulling sister-in-law of his.

"Oh, where is he staying then if you aren't dropping him off here?"

"At my place! I have more than enough money to feed more than one full-blooded Saiyan!"

"So you're saying I'm too poor to feed him?"

"No! I am merely-"

Radditz pulled further away. They were beginning to hurt his ears. He didn't think apologizing would be this hard. Hell, he was ready to try asking his brother for forgiveness over waiting for his mate's forgiveness.

It was almost as if his wish had been granted. He soon sensed his brother heading back over. He had no doubt noticed the ki that Radditz had used to float high enough to be safe from the hair puller. He was hoping not to make a spectacle of himself.

But then Bulma launched onto Chichi.

Radditz groaned as he got in the middle of it, separating his sister-in-law from his pack sister. He and the others had set up a mental link with her only a few days ago after she had finally stopped hiding in her lab. Turles was the most reluctant, but he was never one for commands. She had become an official member of the pack and he had to protect her as such.

"Come on you two," Radditz groaned, "Act like adults here!"

He had his tail around Chichi as he tried to keep Bulma away from the raven head by holding on. She was clawing at him as she tried to angrily get to Chichi, and Chichi was screaming and shouting obstinacies at Bulma.

That was what Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan came upon when they were heading out to see who was at the house with Chichi.

Radditz gave them a pleading gaze, "Please help."

All three just blinked before staring at each other in confusion.

* * *

Goku couldn't help but laugh his head off as he held his wife cheerfully as she still was screaming unhappily at Bulma, who Radditz was holding effortlessly now that he didn't have to hold two woman back. She was yelling at Chichi still.

The only two who seemed to know what they were saying was the two females themselves.

"So let me get this straight," Goku said with a childish grin, "You were wished back to life and so you decided to apologize for our first meeting?"

"That's correct. At the time we were on opposite sides. I was following orders and you were the one who had disobeyed. I did what I thought was right as did you. You won out in the end. Now, I am not here under anyone's orders. So I thought it best to make amends with my brother." Radditz said with a calm expression.

Gohan was glaring at him as was Piccolo, but Goku's expression remain friendly.

"Oh, I see, well then, okay!"

"GOKU!" Chichi roared, pulling her attentions away from Bulma finally, "What are you saying! He stole Gohan!"

"Ah, come on Chichi," Goku said with a smile, rubbing the back of his head, "He did say it was for Gohan's protection _and_ he even said he was sorry. I don't think he would talk Bulma into coming with him if he didn't mean it. And plus, look at him," Goku motioned at the attire his brother was wearing, "He looks like he has been adapting to Earth just fine!"

"I don't know Dad," Gohan said as he eyed him, "Are you sure he can be trusted?"

"Yeah," Bulma said, finally pulling herself free, "Look, I don't know if you guys are trusting of him, but you should believe in me! I know he was bad, but so was Vegeta. Give him another chance."

Goku grinned, "Okay! Hey Radditz, would you like to spar?"

"Dad!"

"Goku!"

"Yes, Chichi, Gohan?" Goku looked at them curiously.

"Just go Goku," Piccolo said as he folded his arms, "I think that you two have some things to talk about."

"Okay!" Goku cheered, "Come on Bro!"

"Erm," Radditz blinked, "Alright."

Both took off into the sky, Radditz following after Goku. Soon they were far enough away and Goku paused.

"Alright, before we start, I wanted to know something," Goku said in his usual friendly tone.

"Alright, what do you need Kak- er- Goku," Radditz asked, pulling off his top and folding to make sure he didn't ruin it.

"You live at Bulma's house right?"

"Correct," Radditz said warily, "Why do you ask brother?"

"Oh, well… Do you know about the androids that are coming in less than three years, right?"

"The prince mentioned it. I am not sure what he wants us to do. I think he wants us to watch over Bulma and even Chichi if you guys fail," Radditz sighed, "I really don't know what's going on with him."

"Really? Has he been acting strange?"

"From last time I saw him, he has calmed. But I still wonder what has done it. I think it is Bulma."

"Bulma?" Goku said with a creeping smile on his face, "He's falling in love with her?"

"Love? That is not a word that I am familiar with. There is no word for that in Saiya-jin."

"There isn't!" Goku reeled back, "Wow! That's terrible! That's a really hard one to describe too!" He paused when he tried to think up the words, "Its like how I feel about Chichi. I love her very much."

"So, it is like the affections between mates?"

"Not just mates," Goku said holding a finger up as he thought, "I love Gohan too. I guess its different levels of affection but still under the word love? I don't know. Ask Bulma."

Radditz was going to do just that, but first he was curious, "Do you think it is love though? Between the prince and Bulma."

"Hai," Goku smiled, "Vegeta must love Bulma!"

"I see," Radditz nodded, "There is definitely something going on between Bulma and the prince. It could be love then. I think Nappa went off in search of something that relates to all this, too."

"What! Nappa is alive too!"

"Hai," Radditz nodded, "Nappa, I, Turles, and Venus were brought back by Prince Vegeta's wish."

"Turles!" Goku almost looked angry.

"He… did something bad, didn't he?" Radditz sighed, "That man. Please forgive him. He's unpredictable and when bored does stupid things."

"Alright," Goku said in a tight voice, trying to withhold his temper, "I will trust you in this Radditz."

"It will be well placed brother, I will see to it." Radditz nodded before moving into a kata, "But weren't we out here to spar?"

Goku turned happy again, "Oh right! Give it your best, okay?"

"I will do just that."

* * *

Launch was serving up lunch, Turles noted as he watched from where he stood, his tail swishing about happily as he watched the anomaly known as Launch. She was tame at the moment, but she could turn in a moments notice, all she needed to do was sneeze.

She stirred her soup happily as she sang to herself. Taking a taste, pausing, and then her entire face lit up in pleasure.

"Perfect!" She said to herself, humming happily as she pulled away to check on something in the oven.

"Turles," Vegeta's voice sounded behind him, he spun around in shock.

"Prince," Turles said in surprise as he looked at his prince with an embarrassed look, "How long have you been standing there."

"Long enough," Vegeta said as he narrowed his eyes, "From what I learned of this culture, this would be called spying on her. It is apparently very rude." He paused, his lips turning into a smirk, "You don't want to be rude now do you?"

"Oh, well you see, Prince."

"It is none of my concern," Vegeta continued, pushing past him, "But your pack sister will not be happy if _she_ catches you."

"Yes, Prince," Turles sighed in annoyance.

He prayed to whatever deity there was on this planet that Vegeta would squirm himself very soon. Which meant he hoped Bulma would come back soon and put Vegeta in his place. He sighed, discarding these thoughts as he followed Vegeta in.

It was lunch time anyways.

"Oh!" Launch said with a sweet smile, "Just in time! Would you two like some lunch?"

"We would," Vegeta nodded, taking a bowl and filling it up and sitting down for his first helping, "Itadakimasu."

He began to eat it with chopsticks.

"Do you want some Turles-san?" Launch asked with a pleasant smile.

"Yes," Turles said, his tail puffing up before he caught himself and wrapped it around his waist, "I would like some."

Vegeta sniggered inwardly as Turles watched the strange human make up a bowl for him. He would pleasantly tease him later in the GR. After all, he was the only one around to torture and out of all the others, Turles was the best to get riled up. Unlike Nappa and Radditz, he didn't take too much bantering.

Until then, he would watch and enjoy.

* * *

Bulma came back at last. She sighed as she capsulated the motorcycle and headed inside. She ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to unknot her wind blown ponytail.

She had left Radditz there. He seemed to be enjoying himself with his brother's family. Chichi was even acting civil. Gohan was watching him closely, but Radditz was on his usual best behavior. Bulma decided that he had won Chichi over with his wonderful table manners. She must have thought it refreshing not to watch someone scarf down food.

She noticed Venus watching her from the upstairs banister, but suddenly disappearing when she didn't see Radditz. Bulma had no clue to what was going on, but in the few weeks that they had all been here, they had been connecting well with others. She noticed Turles easily being infatuated by Launch, and both halves of Launch enjoying the man that liked to pick fights as much as she did. Venus wouldn't come out often, but Bulma always noticed her watching Radditz.

Sometimes late at night she could sense both Raddtiz and Venus sparring in the GR. Venus wasn't participating with the others, so what about Radditz interested her?

Bulma mentally shrugged. She wandered into the house, not flickering a single light on as she walked through the dark halls. She knew these halls like the back of her hands. She didn't worry about running into anything and if she did come across a Saiyan, she was pretty sure they could see her in the dark.

She vaguely wondered how Vegeta was doing. He had avoided her since that little kiss. Every time she almost had him cornered, one of his pack brothers- mainly Nappa- would pull her away and distract her. Nappa had asked her a lot of questions about Azel and had even asked to be allowed to go through her room.

It seemed as though he was looking for something. Whatever it was, he had taken off this morning to look for it.

Turles and Venus kept to themselves, but she had seen the way Turles looked at Launch. And she had heard _all_ the things that blonde Launch had to say about Turles and his very sexy-

She cut herself off from that thought. She really didn't want to remember the rest of what Launch had said to her. But she seemed interested in the Goku look-a-like.

On the ride back home, she had a lot of time to think about things, but what surprised her most was she kept going back to Vegeta. She was playing with dangerous waters, she had realized, kissing him and all. She didn't know how he felt about her. Hell, she hadn't known what she felt about him.

She had pondered it. Everything in those long hours it took for her to get back and what surprised her was her epiphany.

She thought of Vegeta first and foremost. Never had she ever had such a thing happen in a relationship. And it wasn't that she didn't see it. He thought of her, was considerate of _her_! He cared for her when she had still struggled with Yamcha's betrayal. And though he refused to admit it, had been by her side to help her through. He brought back his- no, hers as well now- pack brothers (that was what they said it was called) to protect her.

He thought of her, put her needs ahead of his, even when he tried to hide it with an icy attitude or rude comment.

_"What makes a good husband?"_ She could still remember that question she had asked Azel so long ago.

It was the answer that fulfilled her epiphany:

_"We thought of each other's needs first."_

She care more about Vegeta than about herself.

She _loved_ him.

She smiled at her conclusion that she had received on the bike ride, standing in the hall as she thought back to it.

She didn't know when it had happened, but she knew it now. She loved Vegeta with all her heart and could see no other. Not now, not ever.

Not even Yamcha like she had once thought. Those memories seemed to vanish along with him.

But now all she needed was to know if Vegeta truly reciprocated those feelings. She knew he thought of her, but to what extent? Would he stay with her for always and forever? Or would he leave her when all was said and done with the androids? She had a good idea to the answer, but…

She had to know for certain.

And that wasn't happening until she was able to get her hands on the very man that had been dodging her the last week after their little kiss.

That's when she saw it. That tail quickly disappearing down a hall. She smiled as she realized who it was. She quickly targeted the ki before her, locating the others' ki to find them across the house and no where near this wing. She smiled as she quickly caught up.

_Ignore me for a week_, Bulma thought to herself as she moved as quietly as possible.

Vegeta hadn't seemed to notice. His thoughts were distant even in the back of her mind. She reached out her hand and grabbed hold of victory, wrapping it around her wrist quickly and giving it a hard yank.

She could feel Vegeta jump forward, since it made her lose her footing. She would have fallen it he hadn't turned around and caught her, yelling angrily at her.

"WOMAN!" Vegeta snarled, not realizing she still had his tail in her hand.

"Yes?" She asked coyly, righting herself and pushing herself forward into his personal space.

Time to see what he was made of.

He involuntarily stepped back when she looked at him with those smoldering eyes. He tried to think up something to cover up his fault.

"Do you have no such concept as personal space? Where is Radditz?"

"He's at Goku's place. He seemed to hit it off very well. He'll be back on a later date." Bulma said, slowly and discreetly rubbing soft circles in the baby soft fur tail.

He didn't seem to realize as he calmed. She knew it would have that effect as long as he didn't realize what she was doing.

"You've been avoiding me Vegeta," Bulma decided to tell him.

"I have not. I am merely busy with training myself and the others. They are not yet at my caliber and it means I have to work _extra_ to stay on top of my own training." He responded sharply, but not with any venom like he probably had wanted.

"You and I need to talk."

"What do you think we are _doing_, Onna?"

Bulma's lips spread into a Cheshire smile, "I see. Then, let's talk some more. You've been ignoring me."

"I have not."

"You have. I have only been around the others recently, not you," She pouted, letting her nails rack gently across his tail, watching shivers go up his body.

It must have been then that he realized she had his tail in her hand still and tried to pull it out. Bulma's grip tightened. She even had the gall to bring it closer to her and using her other hand began to stroke it up and down.

"I don't like being ignored." Her eyes met his playfully, "So, if you ignore me, prepare to be punished."

Vegeta couldn't move. He wanted to stop her, but her ministrations to his tail were too much. He didn't even know how he remained standing when she began to place gentle kisses on his tail. He fought hard not to look affected by it, but he knew she could see his heavy pants of air and his flushed expression even in the dark. He felt ready to kill himself when he began to purr.

The little minx, he would have to get back at her for this. Maybe not today, but one day he would get back at her for _this_.

"You hate it when I don't pay you attention- when you get _bored_- and I hate it when you ignore me- letting me get _bored_." Bulma said, pulling away from his tail.

"So, how about you pay me some attention?" She asked in a seductive tone as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pushed her lips against his once again.

This time, when he felt the contact of their lips, he didn't freeze. He mimicked her movements from the last time, only to have her reciprocate his affections. He pulled her closer as he let his instincts overtake him and allowed his lips to press harder against hers.

He stopped only when he felt himself losing it. He would not dishonor her by going too far. He pulled back, but not without his eyes lingering on her lips.

She watched with amazement as he pulled away.

"Not like this…" He breathed out, "I don't want you like this."

Strangely, she knew what he was saying. Though, it wasn't too hard she guessed with his arousal poking against her thigh as it did.

"Alright," She nodded, allowing it, "But don't pretend I am not here… I miss you."

Vegeta's eyes widened.

She missed him? Why? Why would anyone miss him?

She hugged him for a moment before pulling back and giving him a dazzling smile that made him want to forget about Saiyan pride and honor and take her right then and there, but he controlled himself.

"Alright Onna," Vegeta huffed, his face flushing more than it already was as he looked away from her, "I will _try_ to see what I can do. I am a very busy person and do not have time to play around."

Bulma smiled as she heard the unspoken "_but I'll make time since it_ is _you_." She felt honored.

"Goodnight Vegeta," Bulma whispered as she pressed her lips into the corner of his mouth.

When he thought she couldn't hear him, he whispered back his own good night.

"Sleep well hime," he whispered before wrapping his tail about his waist and heading to his own bed.

Bulma couldn't help but have an extra skip in her step as she went to be herself.

* * *

Nappa had finally found it. After looking across the lands, seeing strange cultures and seen strange things, he finally found what he was searching for. He landed back at Capsule Corp, quickly flirting with Bunny before heading up to his room. Vegeta was in the GR, toying with Turles in a spar. He could sense that the other young man had gotten stronger in the amount of time that Nappa had been gone and it made Nappa proud.

He searched for Radditz's ki, but it was far away. He pondered that for a while as he showered and cleaned himself up. He had taken much longer than he had hoped and about a month or two had gone by. He wasn't sure since he was still getting use to Earth time.

It seemed that Bulma had missed him because the moment he had come out of his room, she had tackled him in a hug.

"You're back!" She said triumphantly.

"Missed me, little one?" Nappa laughed as he patted her head.

He easily dwarfed her just like Ze-Azel and just like Vegeta.

"Kinda," She shrugged before turning her happy expression to a pout, "Vegeta has been teasing me and I want you to beat him up."

Nappa couldn't help but let out a full out gut laugh, "Oh? So you only missed me cause I am of use to you, hm? Well let me tell you a secret. I can't touch a single hair on Vegeta's head in a spar."

"Boo," Bulma said as she let go, sighing before turning her head to look up at him, "Did you find whatever you were looking for?"

Nappa smiled, "Yes. It took a while, but my suspicions were right."

"Soooo," Bulma said in a curious tone, "What were you looking for?"

He hadn't told anyone what he was looking for, not even Vegeta. He smiled as he patted her on the head and moved towards the GR with something wrapped up in cloth and cradled in his giant hand.

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know," he laughed, "Boy, did I miss you squirt."

"Hey!" Bulma shouted indignantly, "I am not a squirt! You are just abnormally tall!!"

"Big words mean nothing to me, little one," Nappa called back as he finally disappeared down the stairs.

He wondered what Vegeta had been doing to her in the last month or two that had her running to him to complain.

He entered the GR without hesitation, Vegeta noticed him there and quickly ended the match.

"Watch your side Turles, you have a consistent opening on your right side near the second to the bottom rib." Vegeta told him as he got a shirt on.

"Hai, Prince," Turles managed as he slowly pulled himself off the floor, casting a shot at Nappa, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Out and about," Nappa said with a grin, "Unlike you, I can be trusted not to take over the world."

"You're just not smart enough to realize you _can_ do it." Turles jabbed back before heading for the door, "I'll give you two some space."

"You mean, you're going over to see what that crazy female is cooking," Vegeta said with a smug smirk.

Turles glared at him before smiling, "At least I don't get caught unawares by a little blue haired woman."

"Yes," Vegeta sneered, "You only are caught off guard half the time by a blue haired female, the other half of the time you are surprised by the blond half of that crazy female."

Nappa raised an eyebrow. What had happened indeed?

"At least I don't have to take a cold shower after every time I as much _talk_ to her." Turles shot back before disappearing.

Vegeta's face lit up in a pink flush as he glared at the ground.

Wow, he really had missed it all! Nappa swore that after this he was not about to head anywhere else. Everything fun happened when he was gone.

"Where's Radditz?" Nappa asked, deciding to start with the missing member.

"Off somewhere with Kakarrott's family. They invited him to a picnic." Vegeta grumbled.

Nappa blinked, "He's off with Kakarrott?"

"Yes, isn't that what I _just_ said Nappa?" Vegeta huffed, trying to leave the room.

Nappa grabbed him by the back of the shirt, "Hold on there Vegeta, I haven't gotten to the _important_ part yet."

"Tell me what you want! I am _busy_!"

He as definitely in a foul mood. Could it be because of Bulma? Nappa frowned.

"You and I need to talk. It is going to be a while too."

"I don't have time for-"

"Vegeta," Nappa said with a strong tone, "It is about your mother, your heritage, and your future."

That got the lad's attention. He set Vegeta down so he could remove the cloth, showing the contents it held inside. It was a beautiful hairpiece that Vegeta had seen his mother wear dozens of times. He had forgotten what it looked like, but now that he was seeing it again, he had no doubt it was his mother's. It looked like a rose from Earth, but on his planet it was the main ingredient for their most potent medicinal herb. It was made of firestone that was native to his land and the vines were made of the flexible material that was the bones of an native animal from Vegeta-sei. It was the most prized possession of his mother's.

"This is a very special head piece given from Vegeta to his _Vegiit_. It was passed down generation to generation from the very first Majesty, the very first warrior that had ascended to the highest form of the Saiyans. Her name was Vegiit and her son was named Vegeta." He paused for a moment to let the information sink in before he continued, "It is a gift to the future _Vegiit_. It is offered as a proposal of mating between King and future Queen.

…

Vegeta, I think you should give this to Bulma."


	17. Chapter 17

OMG!!! I finished!!!!

Can you believe that?!?! I am done! No more! This story is over! The next chapter is pretty much follows right after this. But this had that ending feeling. Almost Full Moon is going to be up eventually, I will try when I can, but this is the final month of my semester and I need to be focus on tests and stuff. But I hope you enjoy this. I wanted it to be done and over with by the end of Spring Break so people could enjoy it while I concoct the next couple of chapters to Almost Full Moon.

So, here it is! The final chapter!!! I would love an overview review of the story as a whole and about the chapter itself. I love hearing from you guys!!! Really! Tell me what you think about this chapter!

I hope you enjoy! (Cause now I have to go back and edit it to make sure everything is ship shape x_X)

* * *

_**Trusted One**_

Chapter 17

_His Trusted One  


* * *

_

**Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ**

* * *

"What!?" Vegeta chocked as he reeled backwards, almost falling over into a ungraceful heap.

"You heard me," Nappa said calmly, "I think you should give this to Bulma."

"I heard you the first time!" Vegeta snarled, "But what in hell has gotten into your head to think that I would want _her_!"

"Vegeta." Nappa deadpanned as he looked down at the smaller man, "Do I honestly have to point it out?"

Vegeta grumbled as he plopped down on the ground, lying on his stomach. His half erection he had been suffering from for the past two weeks throbbed at the thought of even asking Bulma.

Nappa sat down as well, "I wanted all of you in here for this, but I guess I get to torture you all one at a time."

Vegeta didn't move, but he did look up to glare.

"I once had a mate, Vegeta. Her name was Zezal and she was one of the most wonderful fighters when I met her. She was graceful and abundant. She died in the extraction process."

Vegeta winced. He had never known about Nappa's family life. The man had always been in his life, never once had he seen Nappa with his own family. Now he knew why. She had died when they were extracting her unborn child so it could develop in a monitored lab with the rest of the Saiya-jin babies.

"But then again, it opened up an opportunity to be an Royal elite guardian." Nappa paused, waving his hand in front of him, "But that isn't the point. The point is, how I became Zezal's mate."

So he began. He told him of the process Saiyans took to bond with one another and he told of the signs that helped them know who was the one for them. They had to be a pack sister first off, sharing a common link and the pack had to accept that link. Once the others saw her as a pack member, she was allowed to find a mate within her pack.

"But it is a little different with the Royal family," Nappa explained, "Not only does she have to be a pack sister, but she has to be something of your equal. She has to be strong and passionate about her people, just because she will need to help rule when the King is away, and she must be intelligent. A Royal Saiyan must recognize her as worthy. She also must perform the mating ceremony. From the proposal, to the dance, to the first night with her new mate, she must be willing and able to do it all."

Vegeta stared at him.

It made a lot of sense now. His body was reacting to his wants. He wanted Bulma. He needed her and he was willing to protect her and shield her from life's harms. He had already known that he was attracted to her. He had known the moment that Ze-Azel had asked him what he wanted to know at the tournament, but…

He had become discouraged when the others had come. He didn't know why he had backed away. But now it made sense. She wasn't a pack sister anymore. She had a link with him and that was it. Now she was once again a pack sister. His body's sudden need for her was because he had already picked her, yet he was _still_ denying her.

He had been having periods of time when he couldn't keep himself away and times where he had to keep himself away. She was just as confused as he was, thinking that he was teasing her or picking on her when instead he was _trying_ to defend her honor!! The last few weeks had been a roller coaster, and not just because the other males were suddenly finding interests of their own- which wouldn't work until they were pack sisters too. (He was almost fearful to let Launch join because of her lack of mental training.)

"Anything else I have to know?"

Nappa chewed on his lip before shrugging, "She has to be pure. No others have stolen away her chastity. Royal members don't touch things that have already been used."

"Great, the only problem is getting another Royal to accept her since, oh let me think, _they're all dead_."

"I count." Nappa shrugged.

"You… what?"

At this Nappa grinned, "I count. Royal elite guards have to be related to the Royals. I am related by marriage to your mother, Vegeta."

Vegeta's mouth dropped as his eyes widened.

"I have taken note of her. I watched her while I was here and I have come to the conclusion that she is the most acceptable mate possible for you. She is smart, strong in heart, and able to hold her own. She is your match, Vegeta. So thus, I approve of Bulma Briefs of Earth."

Vegeta couldn't believe it. He was being told to _ask_ Bulma- the blue haired minx of a woman- to, how did humans put it again, _marry_ him.

It was not like he didn't want her. Oh, he had been trying to deny himself for several long weeks. Ever since she had kissed him, he had slowly been driven mad by her very presence. He could smell every little chemical change in her body now, not that he knew what most the smells meant. However, he could tell when he got her all excited and aroused and –ack! He couldn't think of it right now. That smell was ingrained into his memory.

What had happened these last few weeks had been hell. Both of them dancing around each other as their bodies were physically telling them what they wanted, but their sense of pride and honor denying any such thing more than just a passionate kiss here and there.

And as of late, not even that. It had been new to him, this kissing thing, and Bulma had decided to teach him thoroughly. It was going _fine_ the first two weeks or so, but then his body told him it wasn't enough to just ravage her mouth. It wanted more.

Oh how he wanted to do more, but, in his mind, he hadn't been sure of the steps. He was still nervous and he knew there was suppose to be an proposal with an engagement ring, having asked prior for the blessings of the Sire and Dame if they were present in her life, and a long process of marriage ceremony that involved guests, witnesses, parties, vows, and other traditions.

It was almost disheartening. He was a very private person. He didn't want everyone to know, but at the same time he wanted her off the potential mate list for people like the weakling.

He sighed out loud without intention to. He really felt stuck.

"Okay," Nappa said with a frown and a glare, "What's wrong that you aren't jumping up and heading over to her now."

Vegeta gave him a cryptic look. Nappa knew that look too. King Vegeta had had it right before he even tried to approach Ze-Azel. It was the 'I really have no clue what the hell I am doing and I am not about to make a fool of myself, thank-you-very-much' look.

Nappa rolled his eyes. He knew he was going to have to walk him through this or he wouldn't even attempt to do this at all. Not if it made him look like a fool. Vegeta was stubborn; he only did things when he was completely confident in them.

"If I know you; you know the rules of a human mating ceremony?"

"Ask for blessing from the mother and father; propose with engagement ring; _if_ the female accepts, prepare for a wedding ceremony where a priest or judge or whatever is authorized to do so helps the couple through vows and marries them as _husband_ and_ wife_; and a reception party afterwards with lots of traditions before they head off for a honeymoon."

Nappa knew Vegeta was being vague, but ignored it for the time being, "That sounds easy enough."

"Wedding preparations can take months," Vegeta elated, "And there can be vast amounts of guests invited."

Nappa crinkled his nose. He mentally locked on to Turles's mind and began to speak to him. _Boy, I need you to do something_.

He heard grumbling as Turles replied with a snappy _What?_

_Go find Bulma and ask her about what a marriage is and try to get her to tell you what it relates. Vegeta's answers are vague at best. Try to get her perspective on a bunch of guests and long drawn out weddings._

_Fine_. He heard Turles grumble.

Nappa smiled, _Do it and I will ask the crazy female how she feels about you._ _Both sides of her._

He smirked when he felt Turles's mood become lighter. Going off to do as he ask.

* * *

Bulma didn't know why Turles was approaching her. She thought she had freaked him out this morning with her very large mood swing after Vegeta had left the room after breakfast.

She didn't know why, but this relationship with Vegeta (though no one actually said they were in a relationship) was getting out of hand. She had enjoyed the random moments when Vegeta would appear, making time for her as he promised, and began to talk with her.

They argued, played games, swapped opinions about books, and most of the time it ended up in them making out. It had been wonderful at first. He had been unsure and a little sloppy at first with his kisses, but as time went by, like all thing Saiyans do, he had mastered it down to an art. Things _had_ been great, but now, things were just getting awkward.

Could you say sexual tension? Bulma could.

She had been on edge, trying to be careful as both her and Vegeta began to want just _more_ then just a make-out session. She had been in a foul mood because of the tension building between them, but Turles, though he had been careful this morning, had approached her unafraid.

"Little sis," Turles started.

None of them called her Bulma much anymore all had their ways of addressing her. On occasion she got a 'Bulma' from Radditz, but she was usually surprised if Turles or Radditz called her anything other than 'little sis'.

"What?"

"What's a wedding?"

Bulma choked on air as she turned to fix a surprised gaze on Turles, "What?"

"A wedding. What is it?"

"Where did you hear that word?"

"Your mother," Turles lied simply.

The answer usually worked with awkward words.

It figured, Bulma sighed.

"A wedding is a ceremony preformed to make a relationship between a man and woman legal… Um, like make them husband and wife." She looked at his blank expression, "They become mates." That word he recognized.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Have something like that. Why not just mate and be done with it?"

Bulma sighed, "It is so others know that both man and woman are legally bonded to each other, no longer available to court or date others. Like, what mine is yours and yours is mine, kind of way. So a husband and wife usually share a last name, share properties, and usually one moves in with the other."

"Oh. Is that all?"

"Well there is a wedding ceremony and most people have a party for their guests afterwards," Bulma shrugged, "Usually having the bride throw her flowers and the groom throw the garter. The tradition goes that the next two people get married, but that's superstition and is not right. Also the newly weds cut the first piece of cake and feed it to each other."

"So there is a lot of stuff to do for a wedding," Turles said with a crinkle of his nose in disgust, "That sounds too public."

"Well, there _are_ small weddings or even gunshot weddings," Bulma sighed, getting tired of this conversation.

"Oh," Turles blinked before asking, "What's a gunshot wedding?"

"Very quick. Usually married before a judge and there is no reception, only a few witnesses. Personally, I think a small wedding with a handful of people and a little reception with a cake would be nice. Not to many, just the ones that live here really."

"So you wouldn't want a huge wedding?"

"Yuck," Bulma said, sticking out her tongue and making a face in disgust, "My _mom_ might want one of those, but I can't stand people. I would rather just get married quietly and just head off to the honeymoon right after the 'I do's'."

She paused before setting a glare on him, "You are asking quite a lot of questions. What's up?"

"Nothing," Turles said with a shrug, "Just the normal Saiyan curiosity."

"You usually pull things apart to get your answer, not twenty questions," Bulma pointed out.

"Well, there is nothing to pull apart, now is there?"

"Touché," Bulma said with a laugh, "Now off with you before I build something that Launch can shoot that would actually _hurt_ you."

"Later, little sis."

Turles quickly related back what he had learned to Nappa with their mental link.

_Good boy, you might be better obtaining information than I thought_. Nappa told him with a smug smile gracing his lips.

_Shut up and just remember what you promised, Old One._

"What are you _smiling_ about," Vegeta grumbled as he glared at Nappa.

"Vegeta, you are going to go ask for Dr. Trunks and Bunny's blessings, and then, you are going to propose to her after getting any and all details straight with her parents."

"What!" Vegeta yelped out, looking shocked, "But… they want… a …a _wedding_."

"There are such things as small weddings, Turles just checked," Nappa grinned, standing up and pulling Vegeta and tucking him under his arm, "But let's get you presentable like."

"Nappa!! Put me down!!!" Vegeta roared as he struggled to get out of the man's hold.

Nappa noticed that in this sexually frustrated state, he was unable to fight his way out of Nappa's hold. He rolled his eyes.

Pups.

* * *

Vegeta didn't know if he was going to die of embarrassment or die of humiliation. Either one was bad. His face felt permanently flushed.

He had just gotten done eating dinner with Bulma's parents and had asked them for their blessing. Bunny was overbearingly joyous to hear such a thing and Dr. Briefs nodded, saying something along the lines of 'I'm surprised it took you so long'.

So after one really, really long session of hugs and pats on the back, he finally got away. The only thing that bothered him was the idea of them sharing all they had. She had money, possessions, and even the things that he said were his in the end was only what was given to him by her.

He owned nothing but his title, his honor, his word, and his power.

His brow wrinkled, he didn't want it to be like that. He didn't want it to seem that he asked her to marry him only for her wealth. Vegeta looked down at the beautiful headpiece his mother had worn countless times. He closed his eyes as he pressed it close to his heart.

He sighed heavily, what was he to do?

A sudden idea came to his mind and he rushed off to find the only person who could help him. He might own nothing, but perhaps he could still give her something that would mean much to her.

* * *

Bulma didn't know what Vegeta was off doing, but the last three weeks he had said nothing more than a few words to her. He disappeared the rest of the time. She couldn't even locate his ki properly since he was flaring it and making it impossible to pinpoint. The S.O.B.

She grumbled as she took another bite of her toast, none of her pack brothers were even around, not even the usually ever present Nappa. He was usually nearby unless he was training and he only had certain hours that he would train. When he wasn't there, one of her other brothers were present. Hell, not even _Launch_ was around.

Radditz had been quite surprised when Nappa had come back and been thoroughly teased by the older Saiyan. Nappa was surprised when Radditz hit harder than he use to, sending the older, giant man sailing into the wall in the GR.

He had been sparring with not only Venus, but also his brother. Slowly he was gaining strength, but still not enough to trump Vegeta in his current state.

"Onna," Vegeta's voice growled aloud, making her jump at the suddenness of it.

"What?" Bulma hissed, "Finally decided to show your face?"

The tension between them was thick even though he was across the room. She was angry and happy to see him all at the same time. Angry because he had avoided her, and happy because he had finally shown back up and was paying her attention.

"Miss it?" Vegeta smirked, raising his head slightly in arrogance.

Yes, she had, but he wasn't about to win.

"As if," She snorted, turning back to her toast.

There was a pause before Vegeta walked closer, "I require your presence for something."

Bulma eyed him, "What, you need _me_ for something? That's rare nowadays."

"Yes, well, I also require you to look decent, more so than you did for that dinner with the weakling. So, hurry up so I can get this over with."

With that, he turned about face and left the room, leaving Bulma sitting there with a questioning stare at the place he once stood.

She shrugged and went to get ready. Maybe the stuck up prince was finally going to admit his relationship with her.

She headed upstairs just in time to see her mother heading out of her room with a smile, "Oh, Bulma-chan, I just bought you the most loveliest kimono that I saw at the store the other day. I set it on your bed for you to put away. I just saw it and _had_ to get it for you. It looks fit for a queen!"

She nodded to her mother, entering the room and going to see what her mother was speaking about.

She gasped when she saw it. It was the most eloquent kimono she had seen. It was of crimson hues, deep indigo hues, navy blue hues, and silver streaks dancing about the kimono. It had been ages since she had seen one so lovely. She smiled as she entertained the thought of wearing it to meet with Vegeta. He did say more than what she had worn on her dinner with Yamcha.

So she did so. She dressed in it, wrapping the silver obi around her waist and tying it in an elegant bow that Azel and her mother had taught her long ago. She pulled her hair up and made it graceful with gently curls in the few strands she allowed free and used little jewelry to dress herself further, so not to make it seem too much.

She came out sometime later to Nappa standing at her door. He looked shocked to see her dressed so elegantly, but smiled.

"My, my, squirt, you look almost royal like."

"Shut up," Bulma said with a grin, "Vegeta came in this morning huffing something about requiring my presence and that I had to dress up nicely, so I did just that."

Nappa laughed, "I see, so you want to knock him off his feet with that outfit, hm?"

"Yes, just that," Bulma said with a happy laugh, "It would be nice to ruffle his feathers once again."

"Yes, well," Nappa said, turning serious, "He already left, so I am suppose to take you where you are required."

"What?" Bulma asked in a disbelieving tone, "He tells me to get ready and now he heads off without me?"

Her face slowly contorted to one of anger, "Well tell him to shove off then, I am not going alone."

"He's meeting you there, he just needed to get something." Nappa assured her, picking her up, "Now hopefully I don't mess up your pretty hair."

Bulma shouted angrily as Nappa left the house with her in his arms and took to the sky. She calmed after a while and watched as they went. She was very confused when they landed near the graveyard that Baba owned. The old woman no where to be seen, but the gate was open.

Nappa let her down, gently pushing her towards the gates, "Go. Vegeta, no doubt, is waiting for you."

Bulma was about to retort, but him being in the graveyard made her wonder. So she fed her curiosity.

Slowly she headed in. Her thoughts clouded as she came into the silent resting place of so many, yet so few. She didn't know exactly where she was suppose to meet Vegeta, but she had an idea. She walked the path she had walked so many times before when she had come to visit Azel's tombstone.

There, she saw him. Dressed almost impeccably like her, no, to compliment her outfit. He was bowed in prayer as he offered incense to the gravestone of Azel. He wore a yukata, hakama, and hatori with a sword with silver dancing on the sheath. His garments were the same colors of her kimono.

"Good, you wore it." Vegeta said as he straightened, looking at her from where he stood.

"Vegeta, what is going on?" Bulma asked as she approached him.

He held out his hand for her to take, which she cautiously took and was pull in a gentle manner to his side to admire the grave.

"I did not know the proper place to ask this. I know you do not like the city and it would be preposterous to make a scene of something that has not been made public for good cause."

Bulma didn't know why, but her heart was hammering in her chest. Vegeta had a calm expression as he went on; his eyes lay on the grave.

"But then again, what an honor it would be to ask this of you in the presence of the very being that no doubt help in our getting to know one another better."

Was he really going where she thought he was going? Her eyes remained glued to his face, begging him mentally for eye contact as he continued.

_Oh Kami, oh Kami, oh Kami._

"You see, even though neither of us have said anything about a future…" His face flushed as he shuffled, "I cannot see myself with anyone."

Her heart sank as she looked down. Was this his way of breaking their relationship?

"That's what I would have said if I had been a year younger and still a fool." He lifted him head as he looked at her, "I am not an Earthling. I have no riches to offer you. I have nothing to give to you but my word, my honor, my strength, and my heritage."

Her eyes couldn't help but fill up with tears as her heart stood still. He had never once said anything overly gushingly as he spoke to her now, but it was serious like, in a tone that demanded respect and to be taken with the utmost seriousness. He was not joking. His eyes never left her as his face remained the same gruff expression that he always wore.

"So," He pulled a large box out of his pocket of his hakama, "Though I have no ring to offer you as Earth culture would demand, I have this." He opened the lid to show the most beautiful piece of jewelry she had ever seen, "This is the Royal's sacred treasure. Handed down from generation to generation and offered to every single one of the Queens- who then inherit the name of_ Vegiit_ along with the throne. Most of my people have died, but I wish to ask of you to still be my remaining people's queen, to help rule over all of them." His face flushed as he shuffled a little, but his eyes stayed on her, "Will you be my _Vegiit_?"

He wasn't on one knee, he wasn't in the middle of a large crowd asking her, and he definitely didn't ask her like a madly in love man. But to her, she wouldn't have asked for it any other way. He had laid himself in front of her to be judged, giving her all of him. She knew he wasn't in it for her wealth and she knew he wasn't in it for any other reason than their unspoken love for one another.

She couldn't help but begin to cry as she stood there. He had tried so hard, she realized. He had planned it out so they wore the traditional outfits of her people even though he offered her the proposal gift of his people. He had mixed both of their cultures so that it fit both worlds. She was so happy, as she stood there crying into her hands. She had never thought _this_ was even possible. She had thought he might stay, but not _this_.

For Vegeta to even consider her enough to ask like a gentleman was enough for her. He offered her all he had and asked for nothing in return.

"My parents-" Bulma started when she could.

"Gave their blessing among other things," Vegeta said, his face flushing further. "Will you marry me or not?"

Bulma smiled at him as he waited anxiously for her to respond.

"Yes," She sniffled happily as she tried not to cry more (though she did just that), "Yes I will marry you, Vegeta."

Vegeta looked relieved as he sighed. He took the hairpiece and gently placed it in her hair for her. She was still shedding tears of joy as he gently fixed it into her hair.

"This was my mother's before you." Vegeta told her, "But now, it is yours. Keep it well… Bulma."

Bulma began to cry all over again, freaking Vegeta out as he looked at her in his discretely worried but looked annoyed expression.

"What are you crying about _now_?"

He knew it wasn't because of anything about marrying him.

"You…" She wept as she threw her arms around his neck and buried her face into his chest, "You said my _name_."

It was the most beautiful thing to her, hearing him roll her name off his tongue and past his lips in such a manner.

"You cry over that?" He mused as he chuckled lightly, "Then perhaps that was all I had to do. Ask you to marry me by saying your name. Would have saved me the trouble of thinking _what_ to _say_ to you."

"I liked it," Bulma told him as she held on, "I liked it very much, Vegeta. It made me feel very important."

She rested her head on his chest, pushing her ear against his flesh and listened to his heart. It was beating wildly, just like hers. She smiled at the idea that Vegeta being nervous about anything. He was able to hide it so well.

"So," Vegeta said clearing his throat as he held onto her, "We need to discuss a few things, like"-there was a struggle to get out the word, she noticed- "wedding plans."

She looked up at him with surprise, "You. _You_ want a wedding?"

Vegeta sneered at the very thought, "If it were _my_ way, we'd do it as my ancestors did and perform the dance for King and Queen before I bedded you." He paused as he rolled his eyes, looking put out, "But apparently, the others want to see a wedding firsthand."

Bulma almost hit him for that before he added.

"And it would be best to be recognized as husband and wife in the eyes of your people as well. Did you not want a small wedding with little reception with a cake before taking off on a honeymoon?"

Bulma's eyes widened as she realized that she had told Turles that only three weeks ago. Everything seemed to sink in. She smiled as she nodded into his chest, holding him closer than before.

"Good, because your mother has been driving me nuts with all the little details." Vegeta snorted in mock disgust, "You deal with your crazy mother. No doubt you'll be able to tell her what you want."

"You've been… You've been planning the wedding?" Bulma asked in shock, "What if I had said 'no'?"

Vegeta glared at her, "You wouldn't of."

Bulma couldn't argue. No matter how she thought of it, the way she felt for Vegeta made it impossible to deny him such a request.

She still pulled away and hit him playfully in the chest, "It doesn't mean you get to plan the wedding as if it is going to happen, you know."

"I _didn't_," Vegeta huffed as he took her hand and regally led her down the graveyard, "Your mother wouldn't stop! I tried to get her to stop!"

"True, she does like planning." Bulma nodded, before looking worried, "She hasn't _told_ or _invited_ anyone has she?"

"Do you think I am insane enough to let her go about as she pleases? No one knows except the household. I intend to keep it that way." Vegeta said with a scornful look.

"Ditto," Bulma agreed, "The last thing I need is the paparazzi catching wind of this. Four full blooded Saiyans in the house- two who _destroyed _ a whole city- should not be noticed by the media for the sake of all our health. No, just our little household… and the Son family."

"Definitely not!" Vegeta glared, "I am not about to have that idiot Kakarrott ruining such a day with his idiotcy nor having his wife picking a fight or _screaming;_ the Saiyan ears in the room will bleed from it!"

"Fine," Bulma pouted, "We'll surprise them later then."

"Agreed," Vegeta said with a smirk.

"Imagine their expression in two years when we all get together again. Not only will the Saiyan population had grown from three to seven, but Bulma Briefs will be _married _to_ Prince Vegeta_ no less."

Vegeta could imagine their faces and it made him chuckle. The idiots would look as stupid as they were.

"Onna."

"Yes, Your Royal Whyness?"

"What in HFIL's name is a honeymoon?"

Bulma giggled at him before pulling away and running the best she could in her kimono.

"Onna! Get back here and tell me!"

"Gotta catch me first!" She laughed happily.

"Hmph, stop making it so easy!"

"No fair Vegeta! Let me down!"

"You didn't say _please_."

"VEGETA!"

She didn't know how it happened and neither did she think the prince knew, but somehow, both of them had fallen in love.

Perhaps it had been the old female Saiyan that had made it possible.

Perhaps they would have eventually come together.

Perhaps it was because of their Saiyan brothers.

Perhaps it was Vegeta's ailment that opened his heart to her.

Neither was certain when their turning point really was, but they didn't care. They were to be mates.

And their world would never be the same because of it.

Because she had become his most Trusted One.


End file.
